Wildflower Tea

by Ethel Pochocki, Roger Essley (Illustrator)

Throughout the summer and early fall, an old man goes out and gathers a variety of flowers and herbs until the time comes to make his special tea.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

28 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Ethel Frances Pochocki was a children's book author living in Brooks, Maine.

She developed a passion for books and writing working at the New York City Public Library. While raising eight children, she turned to writing in the early morning hours. Her writing career began when she won an essay writing contest about her experience taking in inner city kids with the Fresh Air Project in New York City. Through the 1960s and 1970s, she contributed numerous essays and poems to the leading Catholic publications of the time. Her award winning books include her collaborations with Maine illustrator Mary Beth Owens, such as The Gazebo, Penny for a Hundred and Rosebud and Red Flannel. She also collaborated with award winning illustrator Barry Moser on Blessing of the Beasts and The Mushroom Man.

Her contributions to children's literature were recognized by the Maine Library Association with the 2008 Katahdin Award for Lifetime Achievement and the 1991 Lupine Award for outstanding childrens literature. Her classic, Penny for a Hundred, was designated a notable book of 1996 by the Smithsonian Magazine.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in awhile I discover an older picture book that takes my breath away, and this is one of those. Each page, sometimes a double-page spread, shares a part of an old man's journey out of doors during part of a year. For example, the beginning reads: "One sunny morning in May." And he proceeds to walk with an empty basket, out to gather what he might find. This time, it is violets. Another day, a "bright Wednesday in July", he hurries "down the road like a spool of unraveling thread". And he finds "snippets of wild thyme and lemon grass and pasture rose and edelweiss." Each time at home, many of the blossoms are carried up to the attic to dry on an old sheet spread out. The year is passing, and finally it's time to put the garden to bed, saying goodnight to "the cornstalk sentries, now silent and brittle as crisp toast." The language is gorgeous, the time walking along on this man's adventures is satisfying, showing beautifully the changing seasons and the man's joy in what he gathers. I've discovered that Ethel Pochocki passed away in 2010, is a beloved Maine author.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a sweet story of an elderly gentleman and his walks and his gardening and the special ingredients he gathers and dries for his tea. And the moment when he gets to sit down and enjoy that tea is priceless.