BLUE BOWL DOWN

A mother speaks rhythmically to her small child, using repetition and old-fashioned phrasing: “Lift your arms up, little baby. . . . Lift the bowl to make our bread, / down the blue bowl, little baby.” Mother and child “walk the water” from the well, light the lantern, stir the flour in the blue bowl, “roll it up and push it down.” The dough rests in the blue bowl beside the wood stove, and the child, who looks about four, gets tucked into a loft bed to dream about bread. In the morning, Mama has baked the loaves in time for breakfast. The watercolor and collage images take the simplest of shapes and colors—like the flour and water—to make homespun goodness. The author’s note reflects on the family tradition of bread-baking that inspired her story. Sweet and wonderful to read aloud. (Picture book. 4-8)