  | Venus Washington and the lasagna drama Author: Oso, Maisha | |
| Price: $15.89 | ||
Summary:
When Venus Washington takes her grandpa literally when he says grandma put her foot in the lasagna, hilarity and chaos ensue.
| Illustrator: | Lovett, Courtney |
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 12/15/2025 An irrepressible eight-year-old is determined to learn her grandmother’s secret lasagna recipe in this charming chapter book series opener. When Venus Washington overhears her grandfather claim that "your grandma put her foot in this lasagna," the child takes the saying literally. Enlisting her BFF, Summer Rivera-and, reluctantly, Summer’s twin sister, Winter, Venus’s "Worst Enemy Forever"-Venus sets out to uncover exactly how many of her grandma’s toes she believes have been sacrificed for the dish. Throughout her investigation, Venus navigates a series of comic misadventures involving imaginary mice, a very real and hungry hamster, and one destroyed lasagna in need of emergency repairs. Venus’s good-natured propensity for taking statements at face value-when Grandpa tells Venus "I’m so hungry I could eat a horse," she replies, "I think Grandma only made lasagna today"-is a standout feature of this chaotic romp by Oso (Before the Ships), who recalls Amelia Bedelia flare to humorously capture one child’s delight in following her imagination wherever it may lead. Cartoony b&w illustrations by Lovett (Tornado Rescue) depict characters with various skin tones. Ages 5-9. Author’s agent: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Andrea Brown Literary. (Jan.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 01/16/2026 K-Gr 4—When readers meet Venus Washington, she explains that she doesn't understand why her parents gave her such a name, since she is from earth and she has never been to Washington. It becomes apparent that Venus takes things literally. The young Black girl wants to learn how make grandma's amazing lasagna, but grandma says if she shares the recipe, she will have to kill her! Venus tries to spy on grandma in the kitchen, but she's thwarted. When the meal is ready, her grandpa takes it out and remarks that "grandma really put her toes in it," leading Venus to assume that toes are the awful secret ingredient in her grandma's delicious recipe. Young readers are taken through eight chapters of slapstick humor, innuendo, and amusing miscommunication as Venus joins forces with the Rivera twins Summer (her bestie) and Winter (her worst enemy) to get to the bottom of the rumor. This chapter book explores wordplay and teamwork with a hearty dose of silliness. Grayscale art, rendered digitally, deftly captures animated character expressions as Venus's investigative high jinks escalate. VERDICT Reminiscent of Melissa Thomson's "Keena Ford" series, this is a solid series debut to add to children's library collections.—Annmarie Braithwaite - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
