See What We Eat!

July 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-A diverse group of young friends (Yulee, Nick, Sally, Pedro, and Martin) go on an outing in search of ingredients with which to make an apple crisp to bring to the Harvest Festival at their community center. They travel to the apple orchard, where they meet Yulee's aunt Sara, who is a farmer. Aunt Sara teaches the children about all of the food on her farm, including grains, vegetables, chickens and eggs, cows and dairy, and, finally, apples. Afterward, the children stop at a grocery store to collect the rest of the items they need for their apple crisp (oats, brown sugar, nutmeg, etc.). The kids then follow the recipe directions and bake the dessert, compost the apple peels, and go to the Harvest Festival. Each section describes a different kind of food and where it is found; bold text at the bottom of the page provides more detailed health information and questions for readers. Back matter contains an easy-to-make apple crisp recipe and a glossary, and there is a table of contents in the beginning. VERDICT Primary grade teachers and parents will appreciate this positive story of the origin of food. Recommended purchase for elementary libraries.-Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2017
Ritchie's group of friends from Look Where We Live! and Follow That Map! (2015, 2009) this time take a trip to Yulee's aunt's farm to see where food comes from and collect the ingredients for an apple crisp for the community potluck dinner.In the van, the kids learn about the food groups and why it's important to eat a variety of foods from each group. Once they reach the farm, Aunt Sara gives the kids a tour, and this is how Ritchie painlessly introduces readers to grains, a rainbow of vegetables, the protein packed in eggs, the products that come from cow and goat milk, and how to tell when apples are ready to be picked. The kids then refuel with a nutritious snack and drive to the store, along the way learning how foods that aren't grown locally get to the market. Once they have their ingredients, it's off to Pedro's house to cook with his dad. Yulee and Pedro compost the peels. A final spread shows the kids arriving at the harvest dinner with their dessert. The five are already a diverse group, but Ritchie consciously extends it with this scene, rounding out the community with the elderly, a person in a wheelchair, and a man in a turban, among others. A solid nutritional primer that is sure to get mouths watering for healthy food...and apple crisp. (recipe, glossary) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2018
In this informational picture book, five friends decide to make apple crisp to serve at their community's harvest potluck. Over the course of the story, the kids learn about nutritional groups, foods from each that a farm provides, and how foods get to warehouses and grocery stores. Bright digital illustrations show a diverse collection of kid chefs enjoying a sunny day and a shared meal. A recipe is appended. Glos.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)