Markets: A World to Discover – Josep Sucarrats, Illustrated by Miranda Sofroniou

Summary: Close your eyes and imagine the intoxicating smell of spices, fish, and exotic flowers. Welcome to the market! You might shop at a grocery store, but that’s not where most of the world gets its food. Markets is a gorgeously illustrated exploration of what has been the heart of civilization for thousands of years. Find out how markets got started, where food comes from, how people pay, and other fascinating treasures hidden among the stalls. Along the way, visit some of earth’s most famous markets and bazaars in Asia, Africa, Europe, and beyond, from the indoor to the outdoor to the floating (and all included on a convenient map at the back)! Written by Josep Sucarrats, a Catalan gastronomic writer, and with a foreword by Ferran Adrià, a three-star Michelin chef and former head of elBulli (one of the world’s top restaurants), Markets is a cultural field trip led by passionate experts who care as much about where food comes from as food itself. (Summary from Goodreads – Cover image is mine – Interior images are from amazon.com)

MINDY’S REVIEW: Markets: A World to Discover is a colorful exploration of the world’s bustling and extensive market system. From the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, which boasts 58 streets and 4,000 shops, to the floating market of Damnoen Saduak in Thailand of southeast Asia, where goods are sold from boat to boat, readers will get a glimpse of some of the most famous markets in the world and throughout history.

Markets are more than just places to buy food — they are often the heart of a community, a place to exchange more than just goods and services, but information and ideas as well. They often vary with the season, and help us eat locally and sustainably. I came away from this book with a far better understanding of the global market system and a long list of markets that I would love to visit someday, like the Tsukiji Tokyo fish market and the San Pedro de Cuzco Central Market in Peru, as well as the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, the floating market of Damnoen Saduak in Thailand, and more!  I appreciated the time I got to spend with this book. It definitely made me want to hop on a plane and get lost in a bustling market on the other side of the world.

ASHLEY’S REVIEW: When I pick books out to read to my kids, I feel like I am drawn to things that I know I am interested in, and therefore I often know quite a bit about the topic. I obviously don’t know everything, but if I chose it, I probably at least know something. This was my thinking when I chose this book. The author is obviously legit and knows what he’s talking about in relation to food, the illustrations were gorgeous, and it sounded like an interesting take on something I was already familiar with. All of that was true, but it turned out to be so much more. 

I was excited to read this to my kids, and in particular my seven-year-old. He is able to sit and listen and process for a long time. I am so happy that he was the chosen comrade for this because we both really enjoyed it a lot. I have to admit–although I knew some of the information here and there, much of it was new to me, and even if it wasn’t new to me on its own, the way it was presented made me think about it in an interesting way that I hadn’t before. I found myself constantly being like, “Oh, yeah, cool.” It was a surprisingly interesting journey that we both enjoyed, and I came away knowing a lot more than I thought I would have learned from reading a children’s book. 

That being said, this is not one of those quick “five minutes before bedtime” situations. No. This is a book that has a lot of information, lots of different things to read about it, and it was not one that we tackled in one sitting. There are big paragraphs of words and information, and it was a bit much for him to tackle by himself, even though he is a pretty good reader for a first grader. However, we very much enjoyed reading about it together, looking over the pictures, and learning a lot. I think my 11-year-old, who is interested in world cultures, would probably enjoy this a lot and also be able to read it on his own. 

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I think my son did as well. If you have a kid who is curious about the world around him, especially in regard to the world outside of their small sphere, this is a great book. It was really educational, both with historic and current facts, and the pictures were beautiful. Seriously, I loved the art so much. It really added to the feel of the book, and my son even enjoyed just looking through the pictures. They were bright and beautiful and the style was really interesting. 

OUR RATING:  We both gave this book a solid 4 Stars.

FOR THE SENSITIVE READER: All clear.