Just So Stories

Scribble Books

November 2025

9781761381485

RRP: $24.99

I readily put up my hand to admit I didn’t know of the author as either a writer or a cook, despite – it would seem – several published cookbooks, and a great success with them.

This first picture book outing is such a delightful combination of family and family/cultural traditions, good food, marking special time together and growing up that it is bound to be a hit with many.

The Small in this narrative loves her family Sundays, all gathered under the backyard lemon tree [I remember when every backyard in my neighbourhood had one] and the regular making, in the traditional way, of ricotta for her grandmother’s apple cake.

She is keen to help, despite being ‘too small’ and is very excited to finally be reckoned big enough to go with Dad to the beach to collect the seawater. Then she helps with other preparation such as whisking and adding ingredients. Triumphantly, she carries the finished cake to the table.

It is just a warm-hearted, sun-drenched, lemon zesty slice of family life that will give any reader those warm fuzzy feels. I wouldn’t mind a taste of this delicious-sounding cake myself and luckily, the recipe is in the backmatter.

What a lovely way to share one’s own heritage and present family as well. Quite possibly, many children will also be able to share treasured recipes that have been handed down. In our family, it is the recipe below that prevails. It’s been used by myself and my girls for countless birthday cakes – perfect for all those Womens Weekly ones that require cutting into shapes as it’s so beautifully dense. I added this one to a recipe book created by my 1/2 class in Beerburrum SS 25 years ago with the addendum that it had been handed down by my great-grandmother but likely was used by her own mother and possibly even older. So we’re talking around mid-1800s or earlier.

Not only is this text charming but the glorious illustrations are both delicate a d warming as well. I love it – there’s nothing sour about this one at all and it’s a sunshiny lemony 5 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋 from me for readers from Prep upwards to around year 3.

Out of the dozens of cakes, including the fancy ones that I or we have made over the years, it was hard to find photos!! But suffice to say the recipe is still going strong……