Review & Giveaway: How to Make a Sandwich by Lorena Proia

Welcome to Book Zone's stop on the tour for How to Make a Sandwich by Lorena M. Proia. This post is sponsored by Lorena M. Proia and hosted by The Children's Book Review. Learn more about the book, the author, and my thoughts below. Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway!

ABOUT THE BOOK

How to Make A Sandwich Written and Illustrated by Lorena M. Proia

Ages 4+ | 32 Pages

Publisher: PnM Publishing | ISBN-13: 979-8-9885730-0-5

Rating: 5 of 5

Publisher’s Book Summary: Making a sandwich is fun and easy! And Rae knows just how to do it. The bread is like the parents, it keeps the sandwich safe and happy. The turkey is the love, the lettuce is the fun. But every time Rae adds an ingredient, it disappears, and she soon realizes there is a sandwich-stealing thief intent on eating her creation! Will Rae ever get to eat her lunch? Suddenly making a sandwich isn’t so easy after all!

MY THOUGHTS

How to Make a Sandwich by Lorena Proia is brilliant! Brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated. I was in awe after the first reading, I was still in awe after the second reading. It is about more than putting two pieces of bread together and adding meat, cheese, pickles, avocado, and mayo.

Rae, the sandwich maker, is an artistic little girl who approaches making a sandwich with the same artistry. She is about to create her greatest masterpiece. She likens the ingredients to emotions and expressions of family life. e.g.

“I like making sandwiches because they remind me of families,” explained Rae. “No matter how many different kinds you have, or how you mix them up, they’re all still sandwiches!” - Pg 10
“You always start with the bread. The bread is like the parents. The bread keeps the sandwich safe and happy.” - Pg. 11

Lorena touches on deeper topics like parenting, love, perfectionism, adaptability, and forgiveness. The book leaves you with a sense that love is all-important to Rae and Lorena and should be as important to us all.

What I Liked

Rae's sense of imagination
Her relationship with her pets, Nero (cat) and Phebe (dog)
Her adaptability in the face of missing ingredients
The scene where Phebe asks for forgiveness and receives it immediately
Her lack of limitations as to future professions.
As a foodie, Lorena's illustrations of the ingredients are really enticing
The color scheme is calming and enhances the storyline.

What Gave Me Pause

Nothing. I wanted more!

Key Takeaways

While making her sandwich, Rae taught us that our plans may get derailed and we may get upset about it, but we adjust.
I thought it fitting that while most of the ingredients went missing, the love was not touched because love lasts and helps us survive during trying times.

Recommendation:

This book is a keeper, another book to be added to my grandson's library. (He will be four in August.)

Disclosure:

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.

PURCHASE LINKS

LorenaProiaBooks.com | Amazon.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR

When Lorena M. Proia graduated with a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology in Graphic Design and Painting, she never imagined she’d become an Information Architect in high-tech. She thought her creativity was lost until she was rescued by an Australian Shepherd named Phebe. Inspired by Phebe’s antics, her drawings became Phebe-n-Me, a t-shirt company, which grew up to become a children’s book! How to Make a Sandwich is her first picture book.

You can find out more about her, Phebe, and her books at: