Review | The Mice of Bistrot les 7 Frères

The Mice of Bistrot des 7 frères by Marie LeTourneau is a wonderful story that reminds me of Ratatouille. Please note that “Ratatouille” in French is pronounced “rah-tah-too-yah”, and not “rah-tah-too-yee” (pet peeve, I’m sorry). 

 

Marcel’s seven sons work for him at the restaurant, even though they all have different hobbies. I really liked that the author took a few pages to present the characters and give them all a bit of a personality. The Chef’s daughter, Petite Michelle, works as the hostess. But why is it called “Bistrot des Sept Frères” if they have a sister? Ah, ha! We’ll get to that soon.

Chef Marcel’s cheese soup is voted the best in France every year! But this year when they get the telegram announcing that the judge will come and taste the soup in an hour the Chef is all worried because they are out of the secret ingredient! The sons start preparing the recipe, but Marcel doesn’t get back in time… Lucky for him, Petite Michelle saves the day, and the soup is not only the best in France but in the entire world!

It’s a short little story that is both amusing and educational. The author included a list of the French words she used with the English translation and a pronunciation guide.

I really liked that Petite Michelle saved the day and that her name was added to the Bistrot’s name: “Le Bistrot des 7 Frères et une soeur”.

And now onto the art! In my opinion, illustrations are as important in children’s books as the actual story. The drawings are beautiful; simple and adorable. The colouring is superb. I really don’t have anything negative to say about this book. 

I recommend it to all the little girls and little boys who like a fun story starring charming little characters. I’m sure mom and dad wouldn’t get tired of telling it over and over again! The author even included the cheese soup recipe that can be found online (the URL is given at the end of the book). I lot of kids will enjoy making the world’s greatest cheese soup!

To buy this book click HERE! :)

*This book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review (book ISBN: 0974930369)