Consider this your chocolate-smeared warning: bedtime schedules everywhere are slipping, sabotaged by a book that begs to be read aloud twice. MUMAGEDDON! And the Food Magician—Sonya Anise’s fizzing, full-tilt debut from Books Beautiful—arrives with rhymes that snap, illustrations that wink, and a story that pirouettes from prank to poignancy without spilling a syllable.
The buzz isn’t bluster. The picture book-in-verse has scooped multiple international awards, wears the Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Seal with swagger, and sits at a gleaming 4.9/5 average across 100+ Amazon reviews. Critics and creators are queueing to cheer. Miche Arendse of Readers’ Favorite calls it “Brilliantly crafted, a mischievous masterpiece… an absolute joy to read!” Brett Anderson—Suede frontman and author—says, “Parents will enjoy it as much as their kids.” Paul Moss, co-founder of The HandleBards, deems it “A hilarious slapstick joyride!” Child psychologist Anneke Reijmerink praises it as “an absolute gift for children’s emotional and social development.” One delighted reader adds the gleeful kicker: “as good as Roald Dahl’s poems!!!”
For readers 8 and up, the setup is scrumptiously simple. A boy with an unerring nose for cocoa and a clandestine gift for food magic crosses a merciless stepmother. Banished from the kitchen and boxed off to a beastly boarding school, he weaponizes wit and whisk, whisking up fantastical concoctions that turn punishments into pandemonium and revenge into rhyme. Under the splats and giggles beats a tender, modern-day fairy tale about acceptance, connection, and unconditional love—the kind that lingers long after the laughs have quieted.
Anise writes in acrobatic couplets that cartwheel across the page, then illustrates them with her own mischievous pen. The flavor is familiar yet fresh: think Dahl’s delicious naughtiness, a dash of Quentin Blake’s visual verve, and the comic cadence fans of David Walliams adore—finished with a faint, child-approved gruesomeness. It’s mischievous, moving, and just icky enough to delight. Readalouds become call-and-response, the sort that spark belly laughs first and big conversations after.
Those conversations matter. Beneath the froth, the book steeps important themes—resilience, empathy, blended families, self-belief—in pitch-perfect play. Child psychologists have hailed it as “a delightful gem that ticks every box,” because its rhythm invites reluctant readers in while its heart equips them to look outward. It doesn’t hector; it hums, slipping in a universal message with featherlight grace: follow your passions, use your voice, and meet in the middle when you can. Compromise and forgiveness, it suggests, are the secret ingredients to any recipe worth repeating.
Part of the magic is hard-earned. MUMAGEDDON! simmered quietly for 25 years—first written when Anise was a young woman, then tucked away, a manuscript under glass. Bringing it back to life, she redrew, refined, and finally released it with a hope: “I hope it inspires readers to listen to their inner whisperings and follow their dreams.” That time capsule quality—polished yet personal—may be why the book feels both timeless and today.
Anise herself is a creative polymath: award-winning author-illustrator, fine artist, and product designer; a Central Saint Martins graduate who has been an art director, eco-luxury brand founder, and gallery owner. Born in Dublin, she has gathered stamps and stories across England, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and now calls the Balearic Islands home. The global hopscotch shows in the work: wide-eyed, warm-hearted, and keenly composed. And yes, she’s already stirring the next installment in the MUMAGEDDON! series.
Hungry for a taste? Seek out the images and the book trailer to sample the style, then clear a spot on the couch. MUMAGEDDON! And the Food Magician plates up slapstick and soul in equal measure, earning its place beside the greats while sounding entirely its own. Bring a napkin for the chocolate, an ear for the rhymes, and leave room for seconds.