HOW MAMA BROUGHT THE SPRING

This delicious picture book provides the perfect recipe for those who are sick of winter. In a story within a story, a mother tells her winter-weary daughter Rosy how her mother brought spring to Minsk, by mixing eggs, milk, cheese, flour and sugar to make a wonderful surprise. Golden circles of batter, flipped from the pan onto a blue tablecloth, look “like sunflowers against a blue sky.” As mother and daughter cook, the house grows warm, the snow melts and wild animals awake, sniffing the air. Papa comes home, and the family eats the golden bundles. “What is it?” asks the daughter. “It’s a blintz!” answers Mama. “What a perfect name! It tastes just like it sounds—surprising and sweet.” As her story concludes, Rosy’s mother brings out grandmother’s tablecloth, and she and Rosy prepare to make blintzes to bring spring to Chicago. A blintz recipe is included. Berry’s illustrations provide exactly the right touch, from the blue-fringed tablecloth endpapers to the folk-like art full of swirls, music and Chagall-like colors and perspectives. (Picture book. 5-10)