MARIE'S MAGIC EGGS

An immigrant preserves, then elevates, a fragile, centuries-old art.

Baba teaches Marie to craft Easter “pysanky—beautiful, decorated eggs—in the same way Ukrainians had done since ancient times.” Grandmother and grandchild labor over homemade dyes and fresh chicken eggs, painstakingly etching with beeswax the intricate and symbolic designs. Each pysanka is “a story, a wish, a prayer, a gift,” “for the legend goes that as long as pysanky are decorated, there will be good in the world.” Displaced by the “fighting and famine” of World War II, Marie flees Ukraine and resettles in Minneapolis, where the vibrant immigrant community inspires her to resume her handicraft. Marie passes on the tradition to her children and theirs, expanding the imperiled folk art while supporting herself and her family. Canting shifts in perspective capture the family with aquiline features, ruddy cheeks, and golden skin that’s frequently echoed in yellows throughout the detailed lines of Turk’s bold illustrations. Extensive backmatter includes a note on Wallace’s Ukrainian heritage and the real-life Marie Sokol Procai, and cultural respect rings through thoughtful elements including complex embroidered fabrics and recurring motifs like wheat and sunflowers. Exploring the power of art to preserve vulnerable heritage, the tale offers potential cross-discipline appeal; pair it with Julie Paschkis’ picture book P. Zonka Lays an Egg (2015) and Katherine Marsh’s novel The Lost Year (2023) for rich lessons in history and holidays.

A proud and meticulously wrought ethnography.