Taste of Thailand (Secret World Adventure Team (SWAT) series) by Lisa Thompson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Taste of Thailand is part of the Secret World Adventure Team (SWAT) series. This is one of seven books in the Read-it! chapter book series published by capstone publishing. The series has an interest level geared towards children in grades 2-4 and takes them on adventures in different countries throughout the world.
In Taste of Thailand, the reader follows Ben and Lulu as they are transported to Thailand in a mission to help chef Meh Dang prepare a special feast for the queen. On the way to meeting chef Meh Dang the kids see masked dancers preparing for the party, street food vendors, Thai boxing, takraw and Buddhist temples. Readers are introduced to all kinds of spices and ingredients used in Thai cooking like chilies, curries and coconut cream, as well as being introduced to foods like durian, curries and fried bananas. The book includes black and white illustrations as well as photographs to help the reader get a clearer picture of the sites of Thailand. It’s too bad that the photographs are in black-and-white, since Thailand is so colorful and beautiful. A glossary is included in the back with definitions of many of the words used throughout the book that readers may be unfamiliar with. My daughter found the book interesting since she learned about Thailand and “foods that we don’t have like durian and live shrimp that jump out of the bowl.” Please note that this is the only book in the series that focuses on food. While this is a short chapter book, I think it does a good job of capturing the essence of Thailand and the food, especially for young children who most likely know very little about this country. We have read several other books in this series and recommend if your child is interested in learning about other countries and cultures.
*We borrowed this book from the library.
Now that is a different way to introduce foods around the world. I like this!