Bring Me Some Apples & Ill Make You a Pie A Story about Edna Lewis

"Time to get up!" says little Edna Lewis one early-spring morning.  "I hear the whippoorwill.  That means its gathering time."  So begins this celebration of one familys year of harvesting local foods, all lovingly described in homespun present tense. In springtime, greens and sassafras root; ripening cherries, wild blackberries and peaches (and much more) follow in summer.  When school begins, there are applesfor apple butter, cider, applesauce, crisp and pies! Ednas childhood was preparation for her career as an accomplished chef and author of four cookbooks.  Truly ahead of her time, she believed in preparing food that came directly from the fields, fresh and delicious.  Interspersed throughout the text are folk sayings and African-American rhymes.  Gourleys sunny, bright watercolors depict the family gathering food and enjoying it at table and in the fresh air.  An authors note describes Lewiss career and includes a bibliography of her cookbooks followed by five recipes.  A mouthwatering morsel that should come with the warning to eat before reading!"--Kirkus

"In her childrens book debut, cookbook author/illustrator Gourley (Cakewalk) celebrates food, as cultivated on a farm and as used to cultivate family bonds. Recounting African-American chef Edna Lewiss childhood in a Virginia farming community, the cheery watercolor spreads follow Edna and various relatives ("Sister," "Daddy," "Auntie") from spring to first snow as they harvest strawberries, dandelion greens, peaches, pecans and more. Edna appreciates each crop, as well as the honey-gathering: "A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay./ A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon./ A swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly," she recites; similar folk sayings or songs accompany mention of each new food, proof of its centrality to the characters happiness. Dynamic paintings, increasingly lush as summer intensifies, add vigor. Children whose experience of food supply is limited to grocery stores, school cafeterias and other eateries will relish this nostalgic view. A short biography of the late Lewis concludes the narrative, and five mouth-watering recipes for Southern staples are welcome extras."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Edna Lewis, the granddaughter of an emancipated slave who founded Freetown, Virginia, grew up to become a famous chef of southern cuisine.  Inspired by Lewis' childhood, this debut children's book by an artist and cookbook author celebrates the growing seasons and the irreplaceable pleasure of fresh food shared with family.  From spring's wild strawberries to deep summer's tangy tomatoes and fall's harvest of nuts, each season brings a new delight on the Lewis family farm, and while young Edna helps harvest the crops, she dreams about what to make with each tantalizing new ingredient; strawberry shortcake, watermelon pickles, nut-butter cookies.  Gourley's colloquial words evoke the rhythms of southern speech, while frequent rhymes, spoken in multiple voices of family members, increase the folksy flavor.  Watercolors in bright, juicy colors echo the story's themes of abundance in lush scenes of the fresh fruits and vegetables, the well-stocked pantry, and the African American family working and then dining together.  A final biographical section about Lewis includes several southern, kid-friendly recipes."--Booklist

“In her children’s book debut, cookbook author/illustrator Gourley celebrates food, as cultivated on a farm and as used to cultivate family bonds. . . . Children whose experience of food supply is limited to grocery stores, school cafeterias and other eateries will relish this nostalgic view.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

“Gourley’s luscious watercolors will have readers salivating as the berries plunk into pails and peach juice drips down chins.”—School Library Journal, STARRED review

“A mouthwatering morsel that should come with the warning to eat before reading!”—Kirkus Reviews

“Gourley’s watercolor illustrations are fluidly drawn and attractively designed, with emphasis on the colors and visual rhythms of the vegetation but plenty of eloquence in the portraits of the family. . . . A happy account with a useful emphasis on seasonality.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This debut children’s book by an artist and cookbook author celebrates the growing seasons and the irreplaceable pleasure of fresh food shared with family.”—Booklist

Long before the natural-food movement gained popularity, before greenmarkets sprouted across the United States, Edna Lewis championed purity of ingredients, regional cuisine, and the importance of bringing food directly from the farm to the table. She was a chef when female chefs---let alone African American female chefs---were few and far between, and she received many awards for her work. With lyrical text and glorious watercolor illustrations, author/illustrator Robbin Gourley lovingly traces the childhood roots of Edna's appreciation for the bounties of nature. The story follows Edna from early spring through the growing season to a family dinner celebrating a successful harvest. Folk rhymes, sayings, and songs about food are sprinkled throughout the text, and five kid-friendly recipes and an author's note about Edna's life are included at the end.