There was a lot to be excited about! The eggs themselves are so beautiful, and I instantly saw how they could translate into very exciting illustrations to tell Marie’s story. I love learning about history, artists, and cultural traditions, so it was really the perfect intersection.

I did a lot of visual research on Ukrainian Modernist art and on the symbolism behind the different variety of pysanky designs. For instance, black and white eggs are made in times of mourning to show respect for the deceased and the cycle of life and death, so I used those designs for the illustration where Marie’s son Earl dies in World War II. I also had to try the method for creating pysanky! I learned a lot about the complex and meditative process by trying out the process myself. It’s certainly not as easy as it looks!

The beginning and the research phase. In the beginning, there’s no roadmap. So sometimes it will take me a while of reading, looking at art, and sketching before I find my way to a visual style for the book. In the research step, it can sometimes be tricky to find the right reference material for the illustrations. Author Sandra Neil Wallace graciously gave me wonderful images for Marie’s family and life, which was enormously helpful. Beyond that, it was about finding very specific things like the interior of a Ukrainian restaurant in Minneapolis in 1912 or references for pich, the traditional Ukrainian stove, which you can see in the illustration of Marie decorating eggs with her grandmother.

I hope that families will be able to discuss and dig deeper into their own cultural traditions and bring those to life for the next generation. I truly think that there is magic in cultural traditions like pysanky, and there is a connection to the Earth, to history, and to community that really can come alive through these artistic practices. They help ground us in a modern world that often feels too fast-paced and focused on technology.

★Five Starred Reviews★

MARIE’S MAGIC EGGS is the inspiring story of the woman who kept alive the Ukrainian art of pysanky Easter eggs and brought it to America. Award-winning creators Sandra Neil Wallace and Evan Turk team up for a richly illustrated picture book biography for kids ages 7–10 who love arts and crafts. Available February 10, 2026 from Calkins Creek, the American history imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers.

Evan Turk is an award-winning creator of many books, including Grandfather Ghandi, which received an Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Honor; The People’s Painter, which received a Sibert Medal; and Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters, which was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book.