Cinnamon Baby

Cinnamon Baby by Nicola Winstanley. Illustrated by Janice Nadeau
Youth New Book Shelves – Lower Level - WIN

Miriam is a baker. She sings and bakes every morning in her bakery, all different kinds of delicious bread, always finishing with her favorite cinnamon bread. One day, Sebastian rides by on his bicycle. Lured in by the smell and Miriam’s sweet voice, he buys bread from her every day for a year. Then, they marry and have a baby. Though it’s not noted in the text, Sebastian is dark-skinned and Miriam pale; their baby comes out the color of cinnamon. After a few blissful days, the baby starts crying. Nothing either Miriam or Sebastian can do soothes it. Finally, Miriam wakes the exhausted Sebastian early in the morning to bring the baby with her to the bakery. When the sweet smell of cinnamon and the sound of its mother’s voice fill the air, the baby is finally soothed. The thin and swirly watercolor lines of the art add a vintage Paris kind of feel, as well as expanding on the story told in the text. The sweet story and beautiful art combine to make this a book to be savored.