Fry Bread Book Review

 

Fry Bread

Maillard, Kevin Noble and Juana Martinez-Neal. FRY BREAD. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2019.

ISBN: 978-1626727465

Fry Bread is not just a recipe. It is a story of a people and community. It's theme is "Fry Bread is us." Fry bread is the Native American/indigenous equivalent of the pancake or tortilla. Historically, the Navajo are credited with "inventing" it over 150 years ago. The author Kevin Noble uses simple, clear poetry to convey this idea in the story of making fry bread. The simple language is deliberate, mimicking the simple and few ingredients needed to make this tasty favorite. Fry Bread only needs "Flour, salt, water/ Cornmeal, baking powder/ Perhaps milk, maybe sugar." Noble uses this formula for his poetry. "Fry Bread is Time/ On weekdays and holidays/ Supper or dinner/ Powwows and festivals/ Moments together/ With family and friends.." We learn that fry bread involves people, community, celebration, nations, and history.

  Fry Bread Book Trailer

The illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal is a true collaborator in this story. Her illustrations add rich detail and context for the poetry. The first thing the reader notices is the diversity of the characters portrayed. The women making the fry bread and leading the children present as stereotypical Native Americans: dark complected with dark hair. However, Martinez-Neal draws the children in rich diversity: bi-racial children, white-presenting Native children, and many different bi-racial complexions in between. She even draws different Black style hair. This reflects the true genealogy of the Native American diaspora. More Native Americans live in other communities and wider cultures than the homogeneity of a reservation (in the back-matter, we learn that even on a reservation, homogeneity is not the norm). The Native-presenting characters are depicted with Native tattoos and dressed in more traditional, conventional clothing. It helps separate the elders from the children who are dressed more modernly. Even with differences in generations, fry-bread binds them together. Martinez-Neal also includes little details in her pictures that lend authenticity. The mixing bowl that our chef uses is based on the author's grandmother's dish made in the home of the Seminole Nation. The blankets, baskets, and dolls are all from the author and illustrator's cultural tradition. Furthering the theme of "The Fry Bread is Us," a community, the baskets shown are weavings shared by the Seminoles and the coastal African communities of the South. Native culture is woven into many communities, if we open our eyes to it. As a girl who went to high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, surrounded by many Native communities, art, and tradition, nestled in the Sandia mountains of the southwest, I particularly enjoyed the color scheme of Martinez-Neal. The colors used in these illustrations reflect the sandy desert and hues of the sunset over the mountains.

Fry Bread Demonstration using Kevin Noble's Recipe

As referenced, the back-matter in this story is as important as the poetry and illustrations. I appreciate the care Noble and Martinez-Neal took to be inclusive with the stories not just their people, but other, little-known tribes and communities. I didn't realize that there are tribes that are not recognized by other tribes or the United States government. So many resources and knowledge in this gentle, beautiful book.

Programming Connection

Students will interview a family elder and ask about family traditions. They will share this interview and bring a favorite family recipe (maybe with samples) to share with the class. We will compile these recipes into a class recipe book, because "Food is Us."