Tomatoes on trial The fruit v. vegetable showdown

Are tomatoes fruits, or are they vegetables? Chronicling a produce importer's nineteenth-century lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court--and that's now freshly topical since the case hinged on recently imposed tariffs--Metcalf leverages an amusingly told historical "FOOD FIGHT!" into a model for conducting formal debates of any sort. Inviting readers to analyze the arguments of "Team Fruit" and "Team Vegetable," she draws on multiple original and modern information sources to present evidence supporting both sides of the question. The author admits to falling into the latter camp but, along with a set of general tomato facts, offers in the back matter rival rosters of states and countries as evidence that the controversy is far from settled--or settleable. Fotheringham catches the tongue-in-cheek tone of the narrative with whimsical portraits of stiffly posed period contestants with bristly facial hair and cutaway views of produce thrown down as examples and counterexamples. Fruitful reading.

Gr 1--3--With more puns than a tomato has seeds, this title will have young debaters ready to take on the challenge of "Fruit or Vegetable?" This is the historical tale of John Nix, the "Produce King" of New York City, who in 1886 wanted to import tomatoes to best his competition. Levied with a 10 percent tax that was placed on vegetables, Nix took his case to court to prove that tomatoes are a fruit rather than a vegetable, thereby avoiding the tariff. A mighty argument ensued. Full of evidence and rebuttals, the book exposes readers to the arguments on both sides of the issue and by the end, they might find their opinions have changed. No matter the outcome, readers will have learned a great deal about legal reasoning and how to make a convincing argument. Fotheringham's blotted line and color wash illustrations brim with humor and history, adding to the appeal of this engaging title. By the end, readers will be ripe and ready to make the case for the tomato's classification one way or another, will have learned some interesting facts, and gained a basic understanding of how to build a logical, fact-based argument. VERDICT This is a novel piece of nonfiction that is fully entertaining for older elementary students.--John Scott

An 1893 Supreme Court case established whether a tomato was a fruit or a vegetable. In 1886, Jon Nix, "the produce king of New York," thought he'd get rich selling tomatoes from Bermuda until a New York Custom House collector demanded a 10% vegetable tax when his goods arrived at the port. Nix argued that tomatoes were fruits (they have seeds and grow from flowers) and therefore weren't taxable. The collector wasn't convinced, and Nix had to pay, so he went to court, hoping to change the law--in particular, the Tariff Act of 1883, which taxed goods from other countries that attempted to compete with homegrown items. Metcalf humorously introduces the legal process, describing the proceedings as a "food fight"--a showdown between lawyers on "team vegetable" (the defendants) and "team fruit" (the plaintiffs). Evidence and rebuttals abound, drolly illustrated by Fotheringham in blotted line and color wash. Playful typefaces for onomatopoeia ("SQUISH!" "WHOMP!") add emphasis as the major figures seek answers to vexing questions: "What makes edibles vegetable?" Do people eat tomatoes as a meal or a dessert? Metcalf overdoes the food-based puns but includes excellent backmatter to help young debaters learn to develop an argument. An entertaining, lucid look at the judicial process. (information on the vocabulary used, author's note, archival photographs, further facts about tomatoes, sources, picture credits)(Informational picture book. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.