If you want an author who’s books are all-American and all-around charming, Robert McCloskey is the man. Make Way for Ducklings, One Morning in Maine, and Blueberries for Sal are all excellent examples of his clever prose and unmistakable illustrations. I especially appreciate the humor he displays throughout each story and even into the details of his drawings. My favorites are the collection of stories found in Homer Price, a two-volume set about a boy growing up in small town 1950s Ohio. The characters you meet in the story convulse you with laughter. I still go back and read the tales, since they all have some clever twist that I always managed to be confused by as a younger reader.
An Ohioan by birth, McCloskey weaves this part of his heritage into many of is stories. Alto, Ohio, may not be a real-life town, but it certainly comes alive in McCloskey’s book Lentil.
Poor Lentil. The hero of our story is a young boy with zero vocal musical abilities…. or so it seems. Determined to make music somehow, Lentil saves his pennies to purchase a harmonica. In the capable hands and mouth of Lentil, how that harmonica sings! Everyone in town loves his playing, all except Old Sneep, the town grouch and our story’s villain.
Well one day, the town discovers that its most important citizen, Colonel Carter, will be returning. The colonel has been the town’s biggest benefactor, funding and constructing many of its fine public places. Everyone begins to plan a great celebration honoring his return. All, that is, except Old Sneep, who sneers at the mention of the colonel and seems to have something up his sleeve.
The wonderful day arrives, and so does the colonel’s train. Alas, at the moment the band is supposed to begin their song to usher him out of the train, a dreadful slurping noise is heard from high above them. Old Sneep is sitting on a rooftop, sucking on a lemon! The sight and sound of this tart fruit cause all the musicians’ mouths to pucker up, making them unable to perform! Met with silence at his arrival on the platform, the colonel begins to frown.
Standing there, Lentil knows he must act quickly or the colonel’s visit will be ruined. What will he do? Check out the book from your local library or watch this YouTube video of the book to see how it ends!
In honor of this delightful tale, I made homemade lemon curd to put in these Lemon Bar Cookie Cups from Barbara Bakes. With two-thirds of a cup of fresh lemon juice in it, this curd is sure to pucker your lips. It works wonderfully in this recipe, but equally will on scones and other types of shortbread.
Lemon bars are a go-to dessert for me, and I have my aunt’s old recipe that is generally use. The cookie cups are really perfect for a potluck or party because of their compact and easy to eat size. Regular lemon bars can be a bit more messy and sticky, but for I am finding I prefer them to the cookie cups.
Out of curiosity, I tried a different lemon bar recipe, one calling for the use of one entire lemon, all sliced and run through the food processor until silky smooth. I toyed with the idea of putting in two lemons to bring up the tartness, but my younger brother told me sternly to stick with the recipe. Our of the mouth of babes, really. They turned out quite lovely in the pan, but I thought the lemon flavor was lacking and that they almost had an eggy taste.
So, enjoy these pictures of little lemon cups, curl up with one (or 5. I won’t judge) and read Lentil. I’ll have something new cooked up for next time!
Savor the Story 