The Cook With Too Many Books
This is the story of Mr. Cook who loves books and just happens to be a chef in a cafe at a school. As he has grown, he has always had a book in hand and reading. He does everything with a book which creates some silly problems. His job is at a school where he is supposed to be reading cook books for student meals and recipes but instead he reads his own personal stories and books as he works. His mind gets confused and he begins to lose control of his job and what he is cooking. Mr. Cook's food starts to reflect the stories he is reading and out of the cafeteria kitchen comes lots of interesting meals. The students love this but with the administration it does not fly! An adventure begins his cooking and school lunches.
Derčalíková, Lucia: - LUMALUJE (Lucia Derčalíková)Lucia Derčalíková, known online as Lumaluje, is a children's book illustrator based in Slovakia. She fell in love with drawing as a child and has been bringing characters to life with pencils and colors ever since.Originally trained in fashion design, she shifted her focus to children's illustration in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. That same year, she illustrated her first book for a U.S. author, which opened the door to more international collaborations.Her style is known for its playful energy, hand-drawn look, and expressive, emotion-filled characters. Joy and enthusiasm shine through every page-and if you look closely, you might spot a hidden animal or two. Lucia loves adding funny creatures to her illustrations, often inspired by her tiny (but bossy) white Chihuahua who regularly interrupts her while she draws.Her work has been published in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the United States
Harden, Jenna: - Jenna is the heart and soul behind the story of Mr. Cook. Her journey began at age 14 when she took her first job in a restaurant, setting the stage for the appreciation of culinary arts. Throughout college she continued to work in the restaurant industry and after graduating from ASU she began her teaching career.She is a proud mom of three beautiful children and is a loving wife to her awesome husband. Jenna temporarily pressed pause in her career to embrace the joyous chaos of babies and toddlers. Her commitment to family values shines through her belief that gathering around the dinner table is the cornerstone of a loving household.After raising her children through their formative years, Jenna decided to rejoin the workforce. She brought her passion for cooking and education together when she established a cooking program at her children's preschool eight years ago. Over time, she nurtured and grew the program into what it is today, Books & Cooks! Her desire is to rekindle the lost art of cooking and instill invaluable life skills through simple, engaging cooking classes. Her program fosters the love of reading by introducing a children's story book in each class, the book then inspires the food that is cooked in each lesson. This fun and whimsical way to teach cooking classes moved her to write her own story book based on an adventure of a cook with too many books.
