Tames, Richard. Food: Feasts, Cooks & Kitchens. New York, Chicago, London, Toronto, Sydney: Franklin Watts, 1994. Print.

Annotation: In 28 chapters ranging from “Hunters and Gatherers” to “The Future,” this lively and informative book looks at the history of food around the world and how it is hunted, gathered, grown, preserved and prepared. Each chapter looks a region such as China, and in a few brief yet informative paragraphs and illustrations, discusses items associated with the region, for example: chopsticks, dim sum, wok and the Five Flavors. The team of artists provide drawings that further illuminate the variety of foods human beings have consumed over the ages, as well as regional variations in the procuring and preparing local dishes. The captions provide instructions and explanations, such as how to hold chopsticks. Small boxes provide simple recipes for such delicacies as “Song Dynasty Salad.” There is a lengthy timeline, a glossary and an index.

Rationale: The arrangement of the chapters, one per page, provide an interesting comparison and contrast between two cultures of the same era, i.e., The Dark Ages, in which the author has included modern Lapps and Inuits, and Middle Eastern Food (the spread of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries). The text is accessible to upper elementary students, while the drawings will provide plenty of browsing for students of any age. A fascinating look at how people have fed themselves over the centuries and across the world.