Written by Pat Miller, The Hole Story of the Doughnut tells the true story of the invention of the beloved pastry by Hanson Gregory. In 1843, fourteen-year-old Hanson Gregory left his family home in Rockport, Maine, and set sail as a cabin boy on the schooner Achorn, looking for high-stakes adventure on the high seas. Little did he know that a boatload of hungry sailors, coupled with his knack for creative problem-solving, would yield one of the world’s most prized and beloved pastries.
School Library Journal praises the book saying, "Kirsch has admirably complemented the story with bright, cartoonlike illustrations that evoke the history and the humor of the tale. Clever "porthole," or "doughnut hole," borders frame each page. Whimsically, the artist has placed doughnuts throughout, from the endpapers, which include several varieties, to the back cover, which features an octopus holding a doughnut on each arm. VERDICT A lively offering for reading and sharing that will encourage the youngest of researchers to wonder and learn about other everyday items in their world."
Kirkus Reviews said, "Kirsch’s charming watercolor collages liberally employ round motifs: on many spreads, the circular illustration on the right page is “cut” from the left, freeing up a circle of white space for text... Delicious!"
Booklist called Doughnut an, "Entertaining...tasty bit of history."
Publishers Weekly exclaims, "In colorful scenes that evoke 1970s Schoolhouse Rock vignettes, Kirsch (Gingerbread for Liberty!) depict rows of wide-mouthed seafarers with entire doughnuts between their open jaws; later, sailors enter Gregory’s mother’s harbor-side doughnut shop stooped over and exit dancing jigs on the other side, “holey cakes” in hand. Mimicking Gregory’s ring-cutting innovation, the book’s memorable design takes large circular cuts out of Kirsch’s vibrant watercolors, transplanting the circles to the facing pages while leaving behind an empty frame for Miller’s (Substitute Groundhog) text."
The Hole Story of the Doughnut is available now!
Vincent X. Kirsch is an author, illustrator and designer living in Los Angeles. He has lived in Florence (Italy), New York City and Boston. His illustrations are created in a two-dimensional adaptation of this paper cut toy theaters that he has been building for most of his life. His work is very influenced by theater, puppetry, poster art, classical painting techniques and Hollywood films. His whimsical character designs and storylines range from the fantastically out-of-this-world to inspiringly down-to-earth.
http://www.vincentxkirsch.com/
Links to the full reviews can be found here:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pat-miller/the-hole-story-of-the-doughnut/
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-544-31961-5
