The Bagel King

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 15, 2018

Review

The Bagel King is a sweet story about a little boy who always has bagels with his grandfather every Sunday. Unfortunately, one day, his granddad falls down and gets hurt. There are no bagels for Eli, for his grandfather, or for his grandfather's friends. The next Sunday, Eli goes himself to get the bagels. The illustrations are the best part of this story--sensitive and bright, they engage readers and draw them into the story. Nichols use of bold lines and soft acrylic colors brings emotion to the illustration. The story by Larsen is cute and fairly simple. The addition of Yiddish words can feel a bit forced at times, but doesn't interfere with the simplicity or sweetness of this story.

Overall Book Score: very good