Kid Review: Venus Washington and the Lasagna Drama By Maisha Oso

Venus lives with her parents, grandparents, baby brother Zion, and hamster, Hamsterburger, who has an unusual “trick” of changing colors. Venus is a very literal early elementary student, who worries about her mother’s pain in the neck, and the threats that her grandmother makes to kill people rather than give them her recipes. When her grandmother makes Venus’ favorite, lasagna, she is enjoying her piece until her grandfather comments that “Grandma put her foot in this lasagna”. Envisioning crusty toenails or even entire toes, Venus is repulsed but also wants to find out how her grandmother could have put pieces of her foot in her cooking. She deputizes her best friend, Summer Rivera, as well as her twin sister, Winter (whom Venus thinks is mean) to help her investigates. They try to get a look at Grandma’s feet while she is talking on the phone, but she shoos them away. Venus sneaks under the bed and pulls down her grandmother’s sock, which makes her grandmother believe there might be mice in the house. The grandfather sets out to catch the rodent, assuring everyone it will be “a piece of cake”, which makes Venus worry that her grandmother’s cake has had mice in it. In order to find the toes in the lasagna, Venus enlists Hamsterburger’s help in rooting through it. He escapes, and the lasagna is a mess, so she tries to iron it down, since she has heard the term “iron chef”. This makes a mess of the dish, and she decides to warm it up in the microwave. The Rivera’s cat, Mr. Grouchy, chases Hamsterburger, and the household soon devolves into chaos. Eventually, Venus’ actions are revealed, and her family helps her understand what the phrases she misunderstands really mean.