Selina and the Shoo-Fly Pie

Sheree Haughian, a former teacher-librarian with the Dufferin County
Board of Education, is an editor with Gage Educational Publishing and
the author of The Private Journal of Day Applepenny, Prisoner.

The young Mennonite girl who was a central figure in Selina and the Bear
Paw Quilt is now happily settled in her new home in Upper Canada.
However, relatives living south of the border are still resented for
their pacifist stance during the Civil War. Selina’s beloved
grandmother and her young cousin Henry choose to seek temporary
sanctuary with the family in Waterloo County. Raised in the Mennonite
tradition of hospitality and good food, Selina decides to welcome her
cousin to the new country by preparing his much-loved Shoo-Fly Pie.

Barbara Smucker’s historical fiction is noted for its rich
characterization and evocation of the past. The narrative of her second
picture book depicts domestic life in St. Jacob’s with truth and quiet
grace. Selina’s mission to bake a special pie for a visitor may seem
rather placid in comparison to the daring deeds accomplished by some
pioneer heroines in contemporary fiction. However, her serene and
dutiful nature mirrors the reality of girlhood in Upper Canada more
authentically than do more exciting feminist narratives.

Janet Wilson’s vibrant illustrations help draw the reader into
Selina’s story. Fashioned like round windows in the middle of
patterned quilt blocks, the pictures are warm portraits of a community
stitched together by kinship, shared cultural values, and love. The
quilt designs that frame the illustrations also reflect what is
happening in the text.

Picture books as carefully researched and artfully presented as this
one are treasured by teachers and librarians; those who enjoy extending
culture into the kitchen will be pleased by the recipes for Shoo-Fly
Pie. Like its predecessor, this book provides an ideal launch into a
study of the Mennonite experience in Upper Canada. Highly recommended.