The Cook who Cooked for Captain Cook
Cook’s Cook follows the 1768 journey of James Cook’s H.M.S. Endeavour with his ship’s cook, the one-handed John Thompson, as story teller. Through real recipes, events on board and the places the ship travelled on its way to the Pacific, the book tells multiple stories.
Here are stories of social class, hierarchy and race; stories of explorers and the people of the land; the story of one of the world’s most famous explorers told through a fresh new lens. And of course, it’s a book about food: from Pease Pudding to Goose Pie and Shark Steaks, here’s how a resourceful cook fed a shipful of hungry sailors on their extraordinary adventure.
This beautiful book is full of information drawn from extensive research alongside evocative illustrations, released in time for the 250th anniversary of the Endeavour’s journey.
by Gavin Bishop
- Best 50 Kids Books 2018, The Listener (NZ)
“Appealing illustrations and the lure of an insider’s account make this a delectable adventure.“ —Kirkus Reviews (US)
“This book is historically informative, artistically pleasing, culinarily diverse and, frankly, a pleasure to explore. Any teacher from Year 3 upwards will find more than enough teaching points to keep their students, and themselves happy, as this one-armed cook cooks for Cook!“ —The Sapling (NZ)
“Striking woodcut-style illustrations provide a glimpse into the ups and downs of seafaring life, and Thompson himself offers wry dialogue asides. A unique take on a historical voyage.“ —Booklist (NZ)
“This beautiful book is full of information drawn from extensive research alongside evocative illustrations.“—Read it Daddy!
“It’s not all pease pudding and salt beef: think albatross with prune sauce, ground ginger and boiled wild celery; dog with breadfruit and banana. The creator of last year’s blockbuster Aotearoa comes up with a tasty history lesson in his culinary take on Captain Cook, through the eyes of John Thompson, his one-handed cook.” – Best 50 Kids Books 2018
Gecko Press | hc | 40 pp | 245 x 295 mm | 2018 | 5-10 yrs.
All rights available, excl. Chinese & Turkish
VIDEO WITH GAVIN BISHOP TALKING ABOUT HIS WORK AND THIS BOOK