So Cold! Day at Oliver Kelley Farm featured a variety of experiments from the book by John Coy.
Brrr, it was chilly on January 10 at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minnesota—perfect weather for So Cold! Day, which spotlighted a number of everyday experiments featured in the MNHS Press bestselling children's book by John Coy with illustrations by Chris Park. Pictured above, clockwise from top left, is a basket of frozen bananas, which are used in the next photo to hammer nails into pumpkins; a pair of jeans frozen outside; children making maple syrup cookies in the snow. Pick up a copy of the book and try out these and other ideas listed in the back.
This month we look ahead to our first book of 2026, Dish and Tell by Sarah Peterson, the influencer behind Vintage Dish and Tell, which officially releases on February 17 and is available for preorder now. Join us on February 21, at 2:00 PM, for an exciting and joyful celebration of the book's release at the Minnesota History Center, in the Heffelfinger Room. Light refreshments will be served and copies will be available for purchase and signing. The event is free; registration is requested.
Sarah Peterson
paperback, $24.95
Dish and Tell highlights treasured dishes from Sarah Peterson’s family recipe box—and collects stories from other passionate home cooks who opened their kitchens to share their own tried-and-true recipes. Peterson takes readers along as she visits, cooks, and bakes with friends old and new to present a smorgasbord of family favorites. Discover for yourself why these vintage recipes deserve a spot at the table.
“How often do we struggle to replicate beloved family dishes, only to discover that the secret to Grandma’s baked beans is lost forever? Sarah Peterson’s Dish and Tell celebrates and documents the unsung heroes of the Midwestern table so the home cook knows every dash of mustard, splash of orange juice, and yes, packet of Jell-O needed to revive those moments of sweet sensory pleasure.” —Mary K. Tennis, author of Smoke on the Waterfront: The Northern Waters Smokehaus Cookbook
Pub date: February 17, 2026; Book Launch: February 21, 2026, 2:00 PM, Heffelfinger Room, Minnesota History Center. Free event; registration requested.
1/24/2026, 11:30 AM, Stephanie Hansen, True North Cabin Cookbook, Volume Two, History Center, Community Room, St. Paul, ticketed luncheon
1/28/2026, 6:30 PM, Greg Gaut, The War at Home, Fireside Reading Series, Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, St. Paul
1/28/2026, 7:00 PM, Frank Bures, Pushing the River, Subtext Bookstore, St. Paul
1/29/2026, 6:00 PM, Stephanie Hansen, True North Cabin Cookbook, Volume Two, The Lexington, St. Paul, ticketed dinner
Carolyn Olson, Pearl's Garden, book review, Publishers Weekly
Patrick Strait, Home Club, "The Best Comedy Books of 2025," Vulture
Stephanie Hansen, True North Cabin Cookbook, Volume Two, "Need a last-minute gift? These 12 food books by Minnesota authors are a place to start," Minnesota Star Tribune
Thomas Peacock and Allison Horner, The Naming of Aki, and Ben Schierer with Lori Sturdevant, Perpich, "Best Bets: Six new books to curl up with," Duluth News Tribune
T Williams with David Lawrence Grant, Rewind, and Ben Schierer with Lori Sturdevant, Perpich, "Essential Minnesota Books to Read from 2025," Mpls St Paul Magazine
Meg Gorzycki, Remember the Main, "Readers and writers: A first look at the titles coming in 2026," St. Paul Pioneer Press
Fort Ridgely was a US military fort that operated between 1853 and 1867. It was located near the confluence of the Minnesota River and Fort Ridgely Creek, which was inside a Dakota reservation until 1862. To recognize the post’s role in the US–Dakota War of 1862, the state of Minnesota purchased the site in 1895 and established Fort Ridgely State Park in 1911.
In 1931, an unassuming house at 4600 Columbus Avenue South in Minneapolis was the site of racial violence directed at the Lees, an African American family who had recently purchased the property. Over a period of several days, angry white mobs swarmed the neighborhood to harass and intimidate the family. With the help of community leaders, family, friends, and NAACP attorney Lena Olive Smith, the Lees persevered and remained in their house for another two years before moving in 1933.
Carolyn Olson
As young Pearl tends to her urban garden in the tradition of her mother and grandmother, her dedication and generosity inspire family members to share in the work and reap the rewards.
"Dynamic folk art and dialogue-filled text tells a story of summer garden success in this bright-eyed book from Olson. . . . Crisp black outlining, stylized figures portrayed with brown skin tones, and a mosaic-like garden of flattened forms combine to produce a portrait of community vibrancy that showcases how gardens can yield both food and fraternity." —Publishers Weekly
Pub date: March 3, 2026
Story by Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ Tara Perron
Illustrations by Holly Young
Through words and images, this tender story from educator and healer Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ Tara Perron, illustrated with evocative ledger-style artwork by Holly Young, highlights the treasures of an abundant prairie landscape. In this Dakota story, a grandmother passes down traditional knowledge to her grandaughter during a walk through an abundant prairie landscape.
Pub date: March 31, 2026
So ColdStory by John Coy, illustrations by Chris Park
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Somalis in Minnesotaby Ahmed I. Yusuf
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Soo Fariista / Come Sit Downby Wariyaa
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