A Fine Dessert
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book.
“More than mere confection, A Fine Dessert is a rich and satisfying journey across four centuries, told through the eyes of four families…Jenkins and Blackall show rather than tell, allowing young readers to draw their own conclusions…” – School Library Journal, Starred Review
“This gracefully crafted picture book looks at the tasty old-fashioned dessert of blackberry fool over four centuries… the changing settings mark the significant historical and industrial shifts…” – Bulletin, Starred Review
“A blackberry fool is a simple recipe that has been around for ages—mashed blackberries are folded into whipped cream, then chilled. In this delightful and informative offering, Jenkins and Blackall show families in four centuries making the sweet treat.” – Booklist, Starred Review
“Blackall’s illustrations are as graceful and historically accurate as she can make them, as she and Jenkins take readers to 1710 Lyme, England, where a mother and daughter pick wild blackberries; 1810 Charleston, South Carolina, where an enslaved mother and daughter pick them in the plantation garden; 1910 Boston, where a mother and daughter buy their berries at the market; and finally 2010 San Diego, where a boy and his dad use store-bought berries, an Internet recipe and organic cream.” – Kirkus, Starred Review
A Fine Dessert was involved in a broad and controversial discussion about how best to depict slavery in books for children. For more information you can read the Texas Library Association’s statement about it. The TLA also provides a list of resources if you are using A Fine Dessert in the classroom.
‘A Fine Dessert’: Judging a Book by the Smile of a Slave
A Statement on Questions over A Fine Dessert—Texas Library Association