Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

Knisley, L. (2013). Relish: My life in the kitchen. New York: First Second. Great Graphic Novels for Teens. This non-fiction novel pays homage to the foods that impacted the authors life growing up. She is the daughter of a chef and a gourmet and food played an important part of her life. We get some of her favorite recipes along with favorite food memories. This is a blend between an autobiography, graphic novel and cookbook. The colorful artwork plays an integral part of the story. Usually a graphic novel carries the book, but in this case the story tells as much of the story as the pictures. It was an artful way to present an autobiography. This is not your typical autobiography because the author is an unknown person. This is a great novel for an aspiring cook. The graphics pull the reader in and we experience her love of food and cooking through her memories. This book also falls into the informational book genre because it presents a comprehensive look at cooking through the eyes of someone that cooks.