Every year, during the coldest part of winter, I host a desserts-only potluck. This year, I was determined to make a Thunder Cake using the recipe from the back of Patricia Polacco’s book of the same name. It is a chocolate cake with the surprising ingredient of pureed tomatoes.

My version of Thundercake. Yes, even with tomatoes, it's delicious!

Rachel Erdstein | Contributor

The ingredients are essential to the story of Thunder Cake (as well as the recipe). It is the story of a young girl on a Michigan farm who is afraid of thunderstorms and how her grandmother helps her overcome this fear. As a storm approaches, the girl hides under her bed. Her grandmother announces that it is time to make “Thunder Cake”. They find the recipe and must gather all of the ingredients. This tale takes them around the farm to gather eggs from mean, old Nellie Peck Hen; get milk from old Kick Cow; get chocolate, eggs and sugar from the dry shed, and pick three overripe tomatoes and some strawberries from the garden. The entire time, lightning is flashing and thunder is booming around them. Back inside the house, the girl and her grandmother mix the ingredients, make the frosting and put the cake pans into the oven. While waiting for the cake to bake, the grandmother commends the girl for being brave. Although the girl protests that she is afraid of everything, the grandmother convinces her that it is brave to do all the things she just did even when she was scared. As the storm arrives in full force, they sit down together to enjoy a big slice of Thunder Cake. With its lovable characters, heartwarming story and high-quality illustrations, Patricia Polacco’s Thunder Cake has made its way not only to my bookshelf but also to my annual party as well. It is delicious!

As the library media specialist at Burns Park Elementary, I have the opportunity to share many of my favorite books with students. It is my privilege to connect readers with books they’ll love. When I share a book that includes a recipe, 99.9 percent of the time my students ask for a copy of it to try cooking or baking it at home. Some of my favorite fiction books that include recipes are Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha Wing, The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline Ogburn, Everybody Cooks Rice (and others in the series) by Norah Dooley, Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park and How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. I don’t know how often these recipes are made in my students’ homes, but those students who come to school to tell me that they’ve made one of them always bring back rave reviews.

So, as a reward for reading (as if the story weren’t a reward in itself) or a fun family activity, I recommend finding a storybook with a recipe in it and giving it a try. It may even help to distract from frightening spring or summer storms.

Rachel Erdstein is the media specialist at Burns Park Elementary. She loves to read and share her love of reading with her students. She can be reached at rachelerdstein@gmail.com.