Review by Booklist Review
This vibrant and engaging exploration of fruits and vegetables begins with the question, "Did you know our food grows?" A colorful spread shows familiar packaged foods, such as canned corn, frozen asparagus, and bags of salad, understanding that this is a typical way many kids see produce in their refrigerators and pantries. The book then goes on to explain the diverse ways fruits and vegetables are cultivated, highlighting how strawberries grow from plants that are close to the ground, tomatoes ripen on vines, and corn forms on tall stalks. By offering a clear and accessible explanation of food production, the book fosters an awareness of both the environment and healthy eating choices. Gibbs' paper collage illustrations are simple yet rich in detail, making them visually appealing and easy to understand. With its engaging imagery and straightforward vocabulary, this book will captivate young readers while imparting valuable lessons about nature and nutrition. An excellent choice for read-aloud sessions and early STEM lessons.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
How does food make it to our plates? Starting with some apparently plastic-packaged products in a grocery store--including one processed item and canned peas--White aims to remind supermarket regulars that much of our food actually comes from plants. She focuses on five fruits and vegetables: strawberries, tomatoes, peas, corn, and asparagus. The text is spare and minimally informative. Collagelike art pares its subjects to the basics as smart, flat designs in a shadowless world. White's goal of showing children where our food comes from is an important one. Unfortunately, the food pictured looks exactly like the objects in a wood or plastic food playset, with high-design toddler tableware. Just as unreal are the plants themselves, divorced from actual earthy beds (soil is just a texture-less coffee background). Though the pictures would make great market posters, Jordan'sHow Does Our Food Grow? (2023), for a wider age range, offers so much more detail, information, and realistic settings. The characters are diverse: A brown-skinned tot in boots tends to a tomato plant, sturdy brown hands grasp an asparagus spear, and a lighter-skinned adult and child show the scale of an asparagus fern. A stylish but slight reminder to look at the origins of our fruits and veggies.(Picture book. 2-4) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
