This little boy has big talent in the kitchen. But will loud noises and bustling classes test his limits… or see him soar?
Trey is so ready to whip up something delicious. Starting his first day at cooking camp, the young autistic chef looks forward to learning more about his most favorite thing in the world. But as soon as he gets there, he struggles to contain his overwhelming anxiety when he confronts the oversized crowd and chaos that ensues.
Scared it’s all becoming more than he can handle, Trey can’t stop his nervous emotions from spiraling out of control. But when someone kind steps in to help him, the determined youngster’s huge “Oh, no!” moment might turn into something oh-so right.
Can Trey overcome the challenges and show off his tasty skills?
In this delightful offering featuring a hero facing developmental obstacles, kids will learn to celebrate the unique gifts and abilities of their peers. From discovering compassion to appreciating each other’s differences, children can develop emotional intelligence while being inspired to nurture individual strengths. Fun recipes and important resources are included for families impacted by autism.
Trey the Chef: Cooking Camp is the charming second installment in the Trey the Chef illustrated children’s book series for ages 4-8. If you and your child like optimistic characters, cheerful settings, and relatable adventures, then you’ll love Kira Parris-Moore’s heartwarming dish.
Buy Trey the Chef: Cooking Camp to stir up inspiration today!
Sue Loh –
Trey is a boy who loves cooking. He’s excited because it’s his first day of cooking camp. But when he arrives at camp, he finds the environment to be too noisy, the lights too bright, and the crowd uncomfortable. He begins to react with some coping behaviors, which make the kids around him question what’s going on. His teacher explains the situation with compassion, though, and helps calm Trey down. He gets back to cooking, and cooks such a great dish that all the kids start asking him to help them. At the end of the book are a few pictures of the real-life Trey and a few recipes for kids.
This is an all-around great book. It treats autism as something to be understood, not feared or pitied. It is empathetic on all sides: Kids with autism will find acceptance. Kids who are unfamiliar with autism will be taught to empathize with what kids like Trey are going through, and to react with calm and acceptance. The book also features a diverse set of people, both in the artwork and the photos from the recipes. The artwork is high quality. I can’t think of much that I’d change about the book, aside from my personal preference against rhyming books, and I would have liked to see a recipe from Trey himself.
This is a sequel to a previous book Trey the Chef, in a series called The Heroes We Know. The series features people with mental health and developmental challenges. I recommend that you check out the whole series.