US
In the Great Wars a new battle is fought every week. Soldiers perish like mayflies, while friend and foe change more often than fashions in Paris. Struggling to survive amid the chaos is Tortot, the finest army cook in the land. With only his pots and pans and his flask of Eternal Soup he can magic up mouthwatering meals from the dullest of ingredients. But as well as being a genius in the kitchen, he also has an uncanny knack for saving his own skin, and people say he has a heart as cold as a fish at the bottom of the ocean.
Then one day, Tortot finds a surprise hiding in a barrel of gherkins – a boy soldier who has lost both his brothers and his legs in battle, and who begs the cook not to give him away. Can Tortot find it within his cold heart to help?
This is a deeply moving and beautifully illustrated tale of friendship and the absurdity of war.
Reviews
This charming, bittersweet fable… comes lavished with gloriously intricate pen-and-ink illustrations
Financial Times
This anti-war fable, with its ironically humorous text and intricately detailed illustrations, shows the futility, absurdity and horrors of war
The School Librarian
The novel is, at turns, part satire and part parable, whimsical and grim, humorous and sad. The deadpan delivery suits the material as do the copious black-and-white line drawings. An attractive package suitable for readers of all ages
Booklist
A thoroughly enjoyable, touching tale for all ages. An irreverent fable that tells a timeless tale of war, friendship and the redemptive power of love
Kirkus (starred review)
Carries a strong message of the absurdity of war
Youth Services Book Review ****
A clever, and brilliantly presented, fantasy – and one with a lot to say about the state of the world
The Bookbag
Truly powerful new story, suffused with so much old wisdom
Bookanista
A timeless and ageless parable about the absurdity of war
De Standaard
Imbued with that tradition of storytelling, of tales you really wish were true
De Volkskrant (five stars)
