ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

When Iris' Aunt Mary comes to visit for the day, she brings along a sourdough mix and turns Iris' kitchen into a bread lab. Enthusiastic Iris is on board, and they spend their day mixing, kneading, shaping, and r most of the day lowing the dough to rest, so the microbes can do their work. Choi's soft, warm cartoon illustrations add levity to Binczewski and Econopouly's winsome, pun-filled text and help illuminate not only the steps involved but also some of the science; one memorable spread depicts greedy microbes burping as they chow down. Mary and Iris' conversations while they're letting the dough rest address the importance of plants to all the food we eat and emphasize how much fun cooking and baking can be. A list of additional sourdough facts closes the story, and directions for making sourdough at home helpfully direct readers to a more comprehensive tutorial on making the most necessary ingredient, a sourdough starter (a process that can take weeks, something the book doesn't mention). Curious culinarily inclined kiddos will want to take a bite out of this.

Kirkus Reviews

Iris spends the day with her aunt Mary, who teaches her how to make whole-wheat sourdough bread from starter. Iris, a bespectacled girl who keeps an unusual number of pets, waves goodbye to her parents as they leave her with Aunt Mary, also bespectacled, who comes bearing packages. Aunt Mary introduces Iris to her starter, which she calls Flora, and tells her about the microbes in it that eat flour and water and release bubbles that make bread rise. Together, they mix and knead the dough, let it rest, fold it, and shape it. While they wait for the loaf to rest, they walk to the park, where Aunt Mary tells Iris that she became a plant scientist because of her interest in growing food. Finally, they get home and, after a close call (the dog is extremely interested in the rising loaf), they bake the bread and eat it with Iris' parents. Sensory details of sounds, smells, and tastes throughout the story intrigue readers, and the facts about bread are organically introduced even if the characters are not especially memorable. Spare illustrations in hues of yellow, green, and blue highlight Iris' excitement and curiosity about her world. Readers will delight in learning with her. Iris is brown with an exuberant cloud of hair; her father is black, and her mother and Aunt Mary are white. A fun way to introduce food science and bread making to young readers. (facts, recipe, note, further resources) (Picture book. 5-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

When Iris-s Aunt Mary visits, she provides a sourdough bread-making tutorial. Mary explains the chemistry behind baking bread: a starter is -full of microbes-creatures so small you can see them only with a microscope,- she says. In Choi-s friendly digital art, microbes are rendered like anthropomorphic monsters, -happily gobbling up the food... and burping up bubbles.- Finally, the bread is ready to bake, then eat. Binczewski, managing director of the Bread Lab research center, and Econopouly, an agriculturalist, deliver a straightforward look at the science behind-and joys of-baking bread. A detailed recipe for sourdough bread concludes. Ages 6-10. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

K-Gr 3 Bread lovers are in for a treat! Iris and her plant scientist aunt are going to spend the day making bread. Iris is eager to learn and journals every step of the activity. Aunt Mary makes learning fun and engaging as she shares her knowledge of the science behind bread making. She introduces Iris to Flora and explains that she is full of microbes that start the process. She also explains that their homemade bread would only need four ingredients, far less than the store-bought bread that Iris has always eaten. As Iris watches and learns, she notes that the microbes are like magic and Aunt Mary explains that it is "more like science." As their dough rests, Iris and Aunt Mary have a picnic in the park where Aunt Mary explains how her job as a plant scientist helps farmers grow food. At last they return home to bake their bread and share it with Iris's mom and dad. The Bread Bakers Guild of America partnered with the Bread Lab at Washington State University with the mission to educate kids about the benefits of making good food choices. The digitally rendered illustrations visually demonstrate what the characters are doing, thinking, and feeling. Bread facts follow the story along with a recipe for whole wheat sourdough bread. VERDICT This attractive book is a solid addition to an elementary library collection. Young bakers will enjoy learning about the science of bread making and will be eager to try the recipe included. Annette Herbert, F.E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY