Tea Cakes for Tosh
Tosh loves when his grandma Honey bakes her special golden tea cakes. He also loves her stories of a brave family history stretching back to slavery times. Tosh’s great-great-great-great-grandma Ida made the best tea cakes, and although she was forbidden to give them to her children and other young slaves, she hid a few in her pocket and risked being whipped to give the children “a taste of sweet freedom.” Lewis illustrates the warm, intimate story with beautiful full-page watercolors—sepia shades for the past, full color for the present day—that show the close bond between Tosh and his grandma as they spend their afternoons together. Then Grandma Honey starts forgetting things, but when Tosh makes the tea cakes, she remembers the proud family story. The climax is first a sepia-tone image of Grandma Ida on the plantation, giving young people the golden treats, followed by a scene of a close embrace between Tosh and his grandma now. The final full recipe adds to the enduring story of courage and caring. Preschool-Grade 3. --Rochman, Hazel