THE PERFECT HAMBURGER AND OTHER DELICIOUS STORIES
by Alexander McCall Smith & illustrated by Laura Rankin
Smith offers three separate food-related short stories in which children help adults solve problems: One boy finds the recipe for the perfect hamburger spice; another helps untangle a mass of spaghetti; and a third deals with a doughnut glut during a benefit bake sale. Originally published separately in England, these have now been collected into a single volume, with new illustrations by Laura Rankin (not seen). Simply told, two actually present serious economic issues: the competition between chain stores and traditional shops, and the need to balance supply and demand for one’s product. The third involves a visit to a factory and suggests a healthy option for pasta lovers. Amusing and accessible, these are appetizing fare for the reader newly graduated to chapter books. (Fiction. 7-10)