Farmers' market–fresh vegetables (blemishes and all) are the subject of this vividly photographed book—think of it as a call to farms. Each page features a different grouping of veggies: leafy bok choy pairs with brussels sprouts still on the stalks; habanero, jalapeño, and serrano peppers form a vibrant array of greens, reds, and oranges; and pumpkins nestle alongside eggplants. Sayre's alliterative phrases don't offer much in the way of description ("Root for rutabagas./ Bounce for beets!/ Pile up parsnips./ Turnip treats!")—they more resemble a cheerleader's cheer or a playground rhyming game—but the brilliant colors and inviting textures might just tempt a few picky eaters. Ages 3–7. (June)
* "Let’s hear it for the veggies! This cheerful chant pairs pithy couplets with the author’s photographs of farmer’s market beauties...A winning recipe blending crispy verse and fresh photography."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Sayre’s catchy, rhyming verse has an infectious rhythm that begs to be read aloud...With its upbeat, easy-to-digest text and large, clear images, this book will become a go-to choice in spring-themed preschool storytimes and early elementary health or environmental units.”—School Library Journal, starred review
"Makes produce seem downright fun...Families could read this together before or after a trip to the grocery store or farmers’ market; teachers and librarians could feature it on Earth Day or any time resources are needed about food, health, or plants. A good, sturdy, health-conscious choice."—Booklist
"A call to farms...the brilliant colors and inviting textures might just tempt a few picky eaters."—Publishers Weekly
"Use this text with a unit on nutrition or gardening, or before a field trip to the market. It is a great addition to a preschool or primary grade collection."
—Library Media Connection, November/December 2011
PreS-Gr 2—This cheerleader chant for vegetables in all their variations is perfectly timed to ride the impassioned slow-food movement popularized by the First Lady and Food Network celebrity chefs. Sayre's catchy, rhyming verse has an infectious rhythm that begs to be read aloud. "Rah, rah, radishes!/Red and white./Carrots are calling./Take a bite!/Oh boy, bok choy!/Brussels sprout./Broccoli. Cauliflower./Shout it out!" Sayre goes far beyond the traditional vegetables shown in picture-book classics like Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup (Harcourt, 1987), introducing readers to Swiss chard, shallots, a variety of South American peppers, fennel, parsnips, and other veggie delights. Each page calls out a cheer-worthy vegetable in two short lines of text, accompanied by a large, colorful photograph. Sayre's work in this department is not the most polished; the images have the homegrown feel of pictures taken at the local farmer's market during a family outing, setting just the right tone for a work that will have high appeal for families eager to learn about the food world beyond the grocery store. The author closes with a thank you to farmers and bees, as well as the charge, "Sun and season, leaf and stalk./Know them. Grow them!/Veggies rock!" With its upbeat, easy-to-digest text and large, clear images, this book will become a go-to choice in spring-themed preschool storytimes and early elementary health or environmental units.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI
Let's hear it for the veggies! This cheerful chant pairs pithy couplets with the author's photographs of farmer's market beauties.
The staccato rhymes suggest themselves for all sorts of exuberant oration, from simple read-alouds to more orchestrated pageantry, perhaps involving kids as players. (Cauliflower pom-poms, anyone?) Page turns are cleverly used to add further punch to the rhymes:"Lettuce. Lima. Go, green bean! / Cucumber's cool. Kohlrabi's queen!" The photographs, as sturdy and delicious as their subjects, occasionally pull off a visual pun: The aforementioned queenly kohlrabies sport crowns of trimmed stalks that indeed lend a regal air. Photos, bordered with thin white lines in offset rectangles, appear against pages of green, gold, eggplant-purple or tomato-red. (Yup, it's a fruit, but it makes several honorary appearances.) Crisp white type in the serif font "Calvert" adds the right rah-rah touch. The most pleasing aspect about this crunch-fest for parents and caregivers, arguably, is its happy presumption: What kid wouldn't love to both celebrate and chow down on these fresh and fabulous foods? Indeed, Sayre's appended a page of facts and suggestions and notes that "No vegetables were harmed or mistreated in the making of this book. Most, however, were later eaten."
A winning recipe blending crispy verse and fresh photography: Go team! (Picture book. 3-7)
