How To Make A Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.

Priceman, Marjorie. 2008. How To Make A Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. Random House.

Ever wondered how a cherry pie is made? Ever wanted to take the scenic route? Going beyond the basic recipe? Sure you could just go to the Cook Shop and buy everything you need to make a pie. But what if that 'Cook Shop' is closed? How far would you go for a piece of cherry pie? (As for me, not very far. I don't like cherries. Period. But I'm willing to imagine--for the sake of fairness--that I do.) In this imaginative book, the reader is sent to state after state after state in search of natural resources needed to be processed in order to do things the easy way. (Collecting sand so you can make glass. Collecting oil so you can make plastic. Collecting coal so you can make steel. Etc.)

Catch an express bus to New Mexico. If the bus stops at the northwest corner of the state, take the opportunity to be four places at once. That was fun. Now back to work. Your task is to find some clay. A good place to look is down--you're probably standing on it! Dig up enough clay to make a mixing bowl. (Look out for cactus needles!)

It's a silly book--a stretch of a book. But it is playful, conversational, and informative. I remember reading How To Make An Apple Pie and See The World several years ago. (More than several, if I remember correctly.) And I enjoyed that one a good deal more than this. But this one is fun as well. I think it is for older readers.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers