Sweet Potato Pie - Hardcover

Kathleen D. Lindsey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1584300612 ISBN 13: 9781584300618

Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 2003

Synopsis

The summer a great drought sweeps across the county, the only crop Sadie’s family is able to save is the sweet potatoes. Money is tight, and if Papa doesn’t pay back his loan soon, the bank will take away the farm. Suddenly Mama comes up with an idea—sweet potato pies! The family can sell her pies at the Harvest Celebration that starts the very next day. There’s not much time to get ready, but as Sadie and her brother enlist the cooperation of their old cow, squawking chickens, and half-blind goat, the family rises to the challenge. And in the end it’s Sadie who comes up with just the right recipe for success. Sweet Potato Pie is a delicious affirmation of strong family ties and creative problem solving. This lively story will capture your heart, as well as your taste buds.

About this title

About the Author

KATHLEEN D. LINDSEY won the New Jersey General Assembly Award for "A Stitch in Time," a performance highlighting the history of African Americans before and after the Civil War. Sweet Potato Pie is loosely based on Lindsey’s memories of her great grandmother’s stories, and the story took shape in Lindsey’s mind as she sewed a quilt called "Sweet Potato Pie." Lindsey and her family live in Clayton, New Jersey. This is her first book. CHARLOTTE RILEY-WEBB is the illustrator of LEE & LOW’s RENT PARTY JAZZ, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Her illustrations for that book were praised for their lively, colorful, and flowing style by SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. Riley-Webb’s fine art has been shown at major exhibitions around the country and is included in many public and private collections. She and her husband live in Locust Grove, Georgia.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Sadie, an eight-year-old African-American girl, lives on a farm during the early 1900s. Drought has produced the worst crops ever, but the rain arrives just in time to save the sweet potatoes. When Papa receives a letter from the bank threatening to take the farm unless a loan is repaid, Mama has an idea: the family will make sweet potato pies and sell them at the Harvest Celebration in town. Everyone pitches in to get the wagon ready, gather the ingredients, and do the baking. At the fair, Mama's pies sell like hot cakes, guaranteeing a happy ending. Done in an impressionist style, Riley-Webb's rich acrylic artwork adds greatly to the text. The paintings seem to be moving to the tune of exuberant music; the actions and emotions of the characters are reflected through the use of brush strokes, color, and perspective. Although a bit lengthy, this tale is suitable for independent reading or sharing aloud. Pair it with other stories that celebrate families such as Elizabeth Howard's Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) (Clarion, 1991), Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came (Bradbury, 1985), Patricia Polacco's The Keeping Quilt (S & S, 1988), or George Ella Lyon's Come a Tide (Orchard, 1990).
Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
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About this edition

• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1584300612
• ISBN 13: 9781584300618
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Charlotte Riley-Webb