We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the season of blossoms, bunnies, chicks and eggs than by talking to Patricia Toht about her brand new picture book, Pick a Perfect Egg (Candlewick, 2023).

This third title in the wonderful series that includes Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin is once again beautifully illustrated by British artist Jarvis, and is, in many ways, a perfect book. 

Pitch perfect rhyming text? Check. Lively, inventive, never predictable rhymes frolic and sing as the narrative hums along. An absolute joy to read aloud. 

Illustrations that perfectly detail each story beat while capturing all the joys of the season? Check. Gorgeous colors and textures showcase spring loveliness, while an endearing main character positively sparkles as she picks, dyes, decorates, and hunts for eggs with neighborhood friends. And her adorable dog is always smiling. So much fun!

Pick a perfect egg
with care --
choose a white one
nestled there.

From farm fresh egg to Easter egg, this story is eggsactly what the Easter Bunny ordered. Sure to be a perennial favorite, it’s proof positive that when it comes to authors and illustrators, Toht and Jarvis are perfectly paired. 🙂

Welcome back, Patricia!!

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Please share a fond Easter egg memory from your childhood. How did you like to decorate your eggs? 

I grew up in a big family, so we had lots of coloring going on! My parents would spread a big drop cloth on our long table, and line it with mugs. I loved the fizzing tablets that dissolved in water to reveal their colors, and the smell of vinegar that was added to set the color. 

The “Easter Bunny” hid the colored eggs around the house, along with plastic eggs…until the year the dog ate all of the hard-boiled eggs, and we woke up Easter morning to find a very vomit-y dog! 

What kind of Easter candy did you like most back then? How about now? 

I was never a huge fan of jelly beans, which was a standard in our baskets. But what I adored were bakery store cookies that were tucked in the fake grass – shortbread rounds with dollops of colored frosting or multi-colored sprinkles. Yum! They would still be my Easter preference, if the bakery hadn’t closed its doors years ago.

Describe an especially memorable Easter egg decorating session or hunt with your own kids (or grandkids). Did you take them to an egg farm?

Being suburbanites, our eggs came from the grocery store!

I have a seven-year gap between my sets of kids. When my older ones were old enough to help hide eggs, they had a blast trying to figure out the most clever hiding places. Lightbulbs were removed to accommodate eggs; they were balanced on top of doors and even “hidden” in the egg tray in the fridge. One year, my brother-in-law joined us and decided the space between the curtain rod and the window casement was just large enough to squeeze in some plastic eggs. About 10 minutes later, we heard them pop open and a waterfall of jelly beans rained down.

(We had to eventually write of list of hiding places because they were hidden so well, we couldn’t find them the next morning!)

What other Easter or springtime traditions do you most look forward to every year?

I love springtime walks in the nearby arboretum. The spring peepers are usually out and raising a ruckus. The flowering trees smell so good. And their huge glade of daffodils is like a burst of sunshine. 

(One tradition I despise? Spring cleaning!)

I’m in awe (once again) of your pitch perfect rhyming text. What did you like best about writing this book? Were there any particular challenges you faced that didn’t arise with the other two ‘Pick a . . .’ books? 

Thank you, Jama! I love to rhyme!

Each subsequent “Pick a” book was a little easier to write than the one before it, because I already knew the pattern I wanted to follow. One challenge was the request from my editor to begin the book outside on a farm. We’d never raised chickens or picked eggs directly from a nest, so I had to do a little research! A local farm let me poke around their chicken coop and ask a lot of questions. The research only translated into a few lines in the book, but I wanted that section to be authentic.

From an illustration standpoint, this is my favorite book in the series. Describe your reaction to seeing Jarvis’s finished artwork. What do you love most about how he interpreted your story?

Jarvis is an amazing illustrator! As always, when I saw his finished artwork, I burst out in tears. The magic that happens between words and art is so moving to me.

I adore the color palette for this book. The other “Pick a” book illustrations use darker colors and have strong contrast. The egg book is filled with warm, soft pastels. The front cover with its nest-y swirl pulls me right in!

Which is your favorite illustration and why?

The cover is a favorite. So is the spread of the two children making the “multicolored mound” of eggs. The kids’ expressions convey that magic and pride of seeing the decorated eggs. And the little egg chick, right up front by the basket’s bow, makes me smile.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Pick a Perfect Egg?

This book arrived shortly after our second grandchild, so it’s dedicated to our sweet Teagan.

What’s next for you?

Due to some Covid delays, this is a three-book year for me! Together With You and Pick a Perfect Egg were both released on Valentine’s Day. Next is Taxi, Go! which releases in September. Inspired by the game “Red Light, Green Light,” it follows a taxi through a busy day of transporting customers. The illustrator is Maria Karipidou – her depiction of the taxi is so friendly and energetic.

Finally, please share a family egg recipe with a word or two about why it’s a favorite.

A traditional family recipe that we make every Easter is a coffee cake to start the morning. Three eggs, sour cream, and a cinnamon filling make it rich and delicious.

We call it “Merk’s Coffee Cake,” although no one’s really sure why! One of my cousins believes there may have been a bakery in Chicago that made it or supplied the recipe. However the recipe came to us, thank you Merk!

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PICK A PERFECT EGG
written by Patricia Toht
illustrated by Jarvis
published by Candlewick Press, February 2023
Picture Book for ages 3-5, 40 pp.

♥️ Read our other interviews with Patricia about the first two books in this series (both contain recipes):

🎄 Pick a Pine Tree

🎃 Pick a Pumpkin

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🎉 SPECIAL BOOK GIVEAWAY! 🐰

The publisher is generously offering a brand new copy of Pick a Perfect Egg for one lucky Alphabet Soup reader. For a chance to win, please leave a comment at this post no later than midnight (EDT) Wednesday, March 22, 2023. You may also enter by sending an email with PERFECT EGG in the subject line to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, please. Good Luck!

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The lovely and talented Laura Purdie Salas is hosting the Roundup at Small Reads for Brighter Days. Breeze on over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Happy St. Paddy’s Day and Happy Weekend!

*Interior spreads text copyright © 2023 Patricia Toht, illustrations © 2023 Jarvis, published by Candlewick Press. All rights reserved.

**Copyright © 2023 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.