Author: Kevin Noble Maillard

Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Summary

Immerse yourself in the rich aroma and timeless traditions of fry bread in this poetic story, where a Native American family comes together, cooking through both everyday moments and special occasions. Experience the love, resilience, and heritage woven into each loaf, connecting the senses to embrace fry bread as a symbol of power. Fry bread is more than just food—it's love, community, art, family, and history.

Review

I absolutely loved the rich, sensory language in this story. It made my mouth water for the bread and transferred all the cozy warmth that fresh bread and quality family time often bring. But what truly stood out was the historical context behind fry bread that the story offered. Before reading this, I knew very little about the Long Walk of the Navajo in the 1800s, when the U.S. government forcibly relocated thousands to barren lands in New Mexico. Stripped of their land and farming traditions, they were left to survive on very limited and foreign government-issued food rations, which led to the creation of fry bread. This story brings that history to life through verse, symbolizing the resilience of the Navajo people in the making of fry bread – through hardship, they not only adapted and endured, but remained strong. 

I think this book is a powerful reminder of how critical it is to seek stories from cultures outside our own. We must actively educate ourselves on the oppression in our own history and the stories that our own government attempted to erase – especially if you’re living on that very stolen land.

Language Facilitation Targets

• Descriptive language: describe the bread by its sensory features (what it smells like, tastes like, feels like, crunchy sound), appearance (size, shape, color), location (where do you bake it, store it, eat it, bring it to share)

• Compare fry bread to other cultures and describe the differences: Mexican sopapilla, south Asian naan bread, Middle Eastern pita bread. Practice using comparative/superlative language (e.g., fry bread is harder than naan bread; pita bread is fluffier than fry bread, etc.).