From generation to generation: Still There Was Bread

Still There Was Bread, by Lisl H. Detlefesen/Illustrated by David Soman, (Oct. 2024, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063216556

Ages 4-8

The warmth of a family kitchen comes through the pages in this intergenerational story of baking, family, and love. A young boy awaits his grandmother’s arrival, a big moment on the rise: he’s going to learn to make “Nana Rolls”: a special family bread that “Nana’s mama taught my mama when she was my age, and now Nana is going to teach me”. The two don their aprons and get to work and Nana relates stories of how different generations made the bread through the years; the boy reflects on the differences from then to now: his great-great grandmother had to collect eggs from the chicken coop, where he just has to go to the store; she had to mix the dough by hand, rather than with a mixer; she had to use a woodburning stove, where he just has to preheat an electric oven. Going deeper, the story of bread – and family – as sustenance links generations through the Depression, polio, and the Covid pandemic. The boy and his grandmother talk about breads across different cultures “for times they can be together and times they can’t”, like naan, challah, fry bread, and other breads. Soman’s pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations glow with warmth, the front endpapers showcasing different types of breads across a blue-and-white checked tablecloth pattern. Soman makes wonderful use of natural light to add depth. Back matter includes an author’s note and a recipe for her grandmother’s “Nana Rolls”, the inspiration for the story. A heart-filling story that works for storytime and any time.