# A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat - Hardcover

by **Emily Jenkins** (Author), **Sophie Blackall** (Illustrator)

**A _New York Times_ Best Illustrated Book**

From highly acclaimed author Jenkins and Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Blackall comes a fascinating picture book in which four families, in four different cities, over four centuries, make the same delicious dessert: blackberry fool. This richly detailed book ingeniously shows how food, technology, and even families have changed throughout American history.

In 1710, a girl and her mother in Lyme, England, prepare a blackberry fool, picking wild blackberries and beating cream from their cow with a bundle of twigs. The same dessert is prepared by an enslaved girl and her mother in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina; by a mother and daughter in 1910 in Boston; and finally by a boy and his father in present-day San Diego.

Kids and parents alike will delight in discovering the differences in daily life over the course of four centuries.

Includes a recipe for blackberry fool and notes from the author and illustrator about their research.

### Author Biography

EMILY JENKINS has written many highly acclaimed books for children, including _Water in the Park,_ a _Booklist_ Editors' Choice and a _Bulletin_ Blue Ribbon Book; _Lemonade in Winter,_ a _Publishers Weekly_ Best Book of the Year; and two _Boston Globe-Horn Book_ Honor Books: _Five Creatures_ and _That New Animal_. She is also the author of the popular Toys trilogy: _Toys Go Out, Toy Dance Party,_ and _Toys Come Home_. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit the author at emilyjenkins.com.

SOPHIE BLACKALL received the Caldecott Medal for _Finding Winnie_ by Lindsay Mattick. She is the illustrator of _The Mighty Lalouche_ by Matthew Olshan, a _School Library Journal_ Best Book of the Year; _Edwin Speaks Up_ by April Stevens, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year; and _Ruby's Wish_ by Shirin Yim Bridges, an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award winner. She has also illustrated the Mr. and Mrs. Bunny series by Polly Horvath and the bestselling Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows. A native of Australia, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at sophieblackall.com, where she has regularly posted about the process of making this book.

**Number of Pages:** 44

**Dimensions:** 0.5 x 11.7 x 9.7 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** January 27, 2015

**Accelerated Reader:**

**Quiz Name:** Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat

**Interest Level:** Lower Grades, K-3

**Reading Level:** 3.6

**Point Value:** 0.5

## Details

- **Price:** 18.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 18.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/a-fine-dessert-four-centuries-four-families-one-delicious-treat-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-21
