For the 4th of July

How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.

by Marjorie Priceman

Alfred A. Knopf, 2008

In order to make a cherry pie, you'll need a bowl, a rolling pin, a measuring cup, a pastry slab, a set of spoons and some pot holders. You can get these things at the Cook Shop...unless it is closed, and then you can journey through the United States collecting all of these things. You can stop in Hawaii for sand, which is used to make the glass for your measuring cup. You can visit Texas to get a little oil, which is used to make the plastic for your measuring spoons.

I love that interesting facts about the states visited are interspersed throughout the story. For example, when you stop in Washington, the only state named for a president, to get wood for your rolling pin, you learn that George Washington was rumored to have a set of wooden teeth.

The story ends perfectly with an all-out festive red, white and blue parade.

The end pages show a map of the United States with the cherry pie journey marked on it. And, of course, a recipe for cherry pie is included!

As much as I enjoy this book, and think it's perfect for the 4th of July, I really, really like How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, also by Priceman, in which the young baker travels around the world gathering ingredients for an apple pie. She starts in Italy where she gathers semolina wheat and then makes her way to France, Sri Lanka, England, Jamaica and finally Vermont.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Reviewed from library copy