Independence Cake

Book excerpt: Celebrate American independence with this delightful picture book as you travel to Revolutionary America and meet the amazing Amelia Simmons: mother's helper, baker of delectable cakes, and soon-to-be authoress of the first American cookbook! Master of the historical fiction picture book Deborah Hopkinson takes us back to late eighteenth-century America and the discombobulated home of Mrs. Bean, mother of six strapping sons, who simply can't manage—until Amelia Simmons arrives and puts things in order. And how well she cooks—everything from flapjacks to bread pudding to pickled cucumbers! She even invents new recipes using American ingredients like winter squash. Best of all, she can bake, and to honor the brand-new president, George Washington, she presents him with thirteen Independence Cakes—one for each colony. "Delicious!" he proclaims. Author's Note and original recipe included! Praise for Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek by Deborah Hopkinson: “Abe Lincoln, a storyteller of great repute, would be hard-pressed to beat Hopkinson’s considerable skills.” —The Horn Book Magazine Praise for This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter: "Celebrates the best of free play, capturing what it's like to be fully engaged and inspired." —The New York Times *“Downright charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations invite close inspection.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred