Yep, that’s the title–but that’s also why I picked up Independence Cake. This 2017 picture book written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Giselle Porter drew me in with the title alone. What could it mean?
Well, the subtitle– “A Revolutionary Confection Inspired by Amelia Simmons Whose True History is Unfortunately Unknown”–points us in a general direction…but I was still lost.
That subtitle and Porter’s illustrations both allude to practices from the Revolutionary War period. The story Hopkinson tells is a blend of period-appropriate activities, like Amelia becoming a “bound girl” after being orphaned and being put to work at a string of domestic tasks with a plot that seems a bit more modern. When Mrs. Bean, who took Amelia in, asks the girl what she wants to do, she speaks up immediately, and already knows. Just as the country broke with Britain, Amelia wants to learn American cookery and write an American cookbook.
As Amelia learns to cook traditional English fare, she educates modern readers, who likely know about the marmalade she makes, but might not know the quince puddings.
Amelia’s success as a cook coincides nicely with George Washington’s inauguration, and the lady of the town ask her to bake a cake in Washington’s honor. Instead, she bakes and decorates 13 cakes, one for each colony…and the new president George Washington declares her creations “Delicious!”
The book is a little wordy at times, and Amelia’s success comes a little too easily–there’s no tension here, and no threat or risk–but this book is pleasant, educational, and original. I enjoyed it, and learned from it.
And there’s an end note that explains American Cookery was a real book (published 1796), written by the real Amelia Simmons. And nudges readers to go online to find it, as I have here, and to learn more about election cakes.
