★“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
★ “In this moving picture book, Wallace and Turk limn the life story of artist and entrepreneur Marie Procai (1897–1994), focusing on her devotion to her culture’s credo that ‘as long as pysanky are decorated, there will be good in the world.’… Melodic prose foregrounds Procai’s tender relationship with her grandmother, love of her native land, and successful endeavors in globally promoting pysanky and other crafts. Grounded in Ukraine’s national colors of yellow and blue, gouache, colored pencil, and resist illustrations are boldly patterned and bright, teaming with the rich narrative to create an immersive tribute to a figure and a traditional art form.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “Author Sandra Neil Wallace and illustrator Evan Turk offer a strikingly designed picture book biography that pays homage to both the distinct style and subversive spirit that Marie brought to her work as she held fast to a heritage under threat… a fitting tribute to a woman who made it her life’s work to preserve a cultural art form…a timely, accessible piece of nonfiction.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review
“This warm-hearted nonfiction picture book celebrates the communities that immigrants have built in America and the traditions they bring with them that fill the lives of their new friends and neighbors with joyful color.”—Literary Hub
“The illustrations in this book are bold, vibrant, and eye-catching. Some look to be drawn in crayon, while others look painted, giving each illustration an interesting texture… This book does contain some valuable and informative back matter, including information about the author’s connection to her own Ukrainian heritage, information about how Marie’s family provided information for this book, and photos of Marie’s real pysanky, which are beautiful and so intricate!… Ukrainian families would enjoy reading this book together, learning more about how Marie Procai refused to abandon an important Ukrainian cultural practice and, instead, used pysanky as a source of strength and resistance. This would also be a great read for many different kinds of families around Easter, giving children the opportunity to explore different Easter traditions globally.”—Youth Services Book Review
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