Marie's Magic Eggs

★”An immigrant preserves, then elevates, a fragile, centuries-old art. Baba teaches Marie to craft Easter ‘pysanky—beautiful, decorated eggs—in the same way Ukrainians had done since ancient times.’ Grandmother and grandchild labor over homemade dyes and fresh chicken eggs, painstakingly etching with beeswax the intricate and symbolic designs. Each pysanka is ‘a story, a wish, a prayer, a gift,’ ‘for the legend goes that as long as pysanky are decorated, there will be good in the world.’… Extensive backmatter includes a note on Wallace’s Ukrainian heritage and the real-life Marie Sokol Procai, and cultural respect rings through thoughtful elements including complex embroidered fabrics and recurring motifs like wheat and sunflowers. A proud and meticulously wrought ethnography.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “This heartfelt biographical picture book exemplifies art as a form of resistance. The life of Marie Procai—a Ukrainian immigrant, renowned folk artist, mother, and cornerstone of Ukrainian cultural heritage—is detailed in intricate illustrations reminiscent of the patterns and techniques of pysanky, the traditional Ukrainian art of decorating eggs that Marie preserved and revitalized. Brilliant yellows and blues nod to the Ukrainian flag, and sunflowers symbolize hope and resistance. The mesmerizing illustrations will reveal a new surprise with every read.”—Foreword Reviews, starred review

★”Turk’s stylized illustrations, with vibrant colors and intricate patterns, showcase typical pysanka designs and other Ukrainian traditions. Scenes with Procai in action with her special pysanka tools also help readers understand how these Easter eggs are created. Extensive back matter, including numerous period photos, offers more information on Procai’s resilience and entrepreneurship, how to make pysanky, and the pysanka legend. A gorgeous tribute to this unique art form and its North American promoter.”—Booklist, starred review