Synopses & Reviews
Even before Kum Kau Chinese Take Out opens, there's so much to do. The deliveryman arrives. The cooks clean the kitchen from top to bottom. Then
chop, chop, chop, they slice and dice the fresh meat and vegetables. But when the customers arrive, Kum Kau
really comes alive. Woks sizzle. Pots steam. The cooks whip up tantalizing dishes for hungry patrons. A young narrator shares a behind-the-scenes look at the hustle and bustle of a busy Chinese take-out restaurant. Then it's time for
his favorite dinner.
Delectable tastes and savory smells will make mouths water as Caldecott Honor artist Ted Lewin takes us to a favorite Chinese restaurant in his Brooklyn neighborhood.
Synopsis
Even before Kum Kau Chinese Take Out opens, there's so much to do. The deliveryman arrives. The cooks clean the kitchen from top to bottom. Then "chop, chop, chop, they slice and dice the fresh meat and vegetables. But when the customers arrive, Kum Kau "really comes alive. Woks sizzle. Pots steam. The cooks whip up tantalizing dishes for hungry patrons. A young narrator shares a behind-the-scenes look at the hustle and bustle of a busy Chinese take-out restaurant. Then it's time for "his favorite dinner.
Delectable tastes and savory smells will make mouths water as Caldecott Honor artist Ted Lewin takes us to a favorite Chinese restaurant in his Brooklyn neighborhood.
About the Author
Ted Lewin grew up in an old frame house in Buffalo, New York, with two brothers, one sister, two parents, a lion, an iguana, a chimpanzee, and an assortment of more conventional pets. The lion was given to his older brother, Don, while he was traveling as a professional wrestler, and he shipped it home. The family kept Sheba in the basement fruit cellar until Don returned and their mother convinced him to give it to the Buffalo zoo.
Ted always knew he wanted to be an illustrator. As a child he copied the work of illustrators and painters he admired, including N. C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Velázquez, and Goya. When it came time to go to art school (Pratt), he needed to earn money to finance his education. So, following in his brothers footsteps, he took a summer job as a wrestler -- the beginning of a 15-year part-time career that eventually inspired his autobiographical book I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler. Teds career as an artist began with illustrations for adventure magazines, and its only over the last several years that he has devoted his time to writing and illustrating childrens books. "Im having more fun doing this than anything Ive ever done before," he says. He is an avid traveler, and many of his books are inspired by trips to such places as the Amazon River, the Sahara Desert, Botswana, Egypt, Lapland, and India. His Market!, published in 1996, showcases markets around the world, from Uganda to Ireland to Ecuador.
Touch and Go is a collection of stories about the adventures Ted had while researching his books. Gorilla Walk is his first collaboration with his wife, Betsy, and is about their trek to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Theyve just completed their second collaboration, Elephant Quest, set in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Teds current project is about a Civil War drummer boy.
Ted and Betsy live in Brooklyn, New York, where they share their home with two cats, Slick and Chopper.
Ted Lewin grew up in an old frame house in Buffalo, New York, with two brothers, one sister, two parents, a lion, an iguana, a chimpanzee, and an assortment of more conventional pets. The lion was given to his older brother, Don, while he was traveling as a professional wrestler, and he shipped it home. The family kept Sheba in the basement fruit cellar until Don returned and their mother convinced him to give it to the Buffalo zoo.
Ted always knew he wanted to be an illustrator. As a child he copied the work of illustrators and painters he admired, including N. C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Velázquez, and Goya. When it came time to go to art school (Pratt), he needed to earn money to finance his education. So, following in his brothers footsteps, he took a summer job as a wrestler -- the beginning of a 15-year part-time career that eventually inspired his autobiographical book I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler. Teds career as an artist began with illustrations for adventure magazines, and its only over the last several years that he has devoted his time to writing and illustrating childrens books. "Im having more fun doing this than anything Ive ever done before," he says. He is an avid traveler, and many of his books are inspired by trips to such places as the Amazon River, the Sahara Desert, Botswana, Egypt, Lapland, and India. His Market!, published in 1996, showcases markets around the world, from Uganda to Ireland to Ecuador.
Touch and Go is a collection of stories about the adventures Ted had while researching his books. Gorilla Walk is his first collaboration with his wife, Betsy, and is about their trek to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Theyve just completed their second collaboration, Elephant Quest, set in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Teds current project is about a Civil War drummer boy.
Ted and Betsy live in Brooklyn, New York, where they share their home with two cats, Slick and Chopper.