LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! It takes me back to when I learned how to cook. My mother-in-law taught me on a crash course one day when I forgot I needed to bring a dish for school. She taught me how to make shrimp creole in a 10 minute phone conversation and run to Mid-Way Grocery where she worked. She told me her secret ingredient was SUGAR! I use sugar in just about every thing I cook now.... just ask my husband! This book made me want to do Karen English for my author study. The three books I read are all relate-able one way or another. I think this one is my favorite by her though! ( )

The stew just isn't right yet, "what are we forgetting", the characters bicker about the missing ingredient. They do not acknowledge Victoria even though she is the only one who knows the secret ingredient is sugar. This book reminds me of these banana pancakes I used to make with my grandmother, she always shared her best recipes with only me. Many New Orleans children can relate to this book through cooking recipes with their grandmothers, and family. The secretiveness of the book and the sequential attempts of ingredients show how all people's ideas are important to cooking the "just right stew"! ( )

Mama and Aunt Rose are making oxtail stew, but they cant figure out why it doesn't taste like Big Mama's stew. The add dill, still not right so they add lemon pepper, still not right. Victoria tries to tell them the secret ingredient but they didn't want to hear it. An aunt comes over and thinks she knows the secret ingredient, she adds cumin. Still not right, another family member secretly adds garlic powder, but nope its still not right. Another aunt adds red pepper because she is sure that's the secret ingredient. Still not it, then finally Big Mama herself comes in the kitchen and asks Victoria if anyone has put in the real secret ingredient. Victoria said, "nope I went to tell them but they didn't want to listen", so she let Victoria put in the sugar. Big mama said they all caught me putting ingredients in but no one has ever caught me putting sugar in. This story was very suspenseful, as a reader you want to know what is the secret ingredient. Its a family tradition to learn recipes and secret ingredients and in this family they will make oxtail soup for centuries to come. I would recommend this book to grades k-3 and may be a good choice for right before lunch time because reading this story made me hungry. ( )

A humorous story about a family having a birthday party for Big Mama, They try to surprise her by making a perfect copy of her oxtail stew. Even with the help of various family members they cannot get the stew just right. In the end 2 members of the family come into the kitchen and add the secret ingredient that makes the stew perfect. ( )

Victoria's grandmother's birthday is approaching, and the family tries to make oxtail stew. The grandmother is the only one successful with the recipe, but the family wants to make it for her. They fail repeatedly because they are missing a secret ingredient. An aunt brings garlic powder over because she has seen Big Mama put that in her stew, hoping that this is the secret, missing ingredient. Each family member contributes an ingredient. Sugar is the secret ingredient. Victoria is the only one who has seen this be added. Victoria puts the ingredient in the stew. The stew is perfect, and the ingredient remains a secret between Victoria and Big Mama. This is a great story of a grandmother/grandchild relationship. ( )