The Vegetables We Eat

Author and illustrator Gail Gibbons has a special gift for making info-packed nonfiction palatable to younger audiences. This iconographic adaptation of her 2007 picture book, narrated by Qarie Marshall, features simply drawn human and animal characters, as it explores the ways in which we enjoy nutritious and tasty vegetables, offering explanations of annual and perennial plants, while also giving a detailed breakdown of the eight groupings that botanists have designated for the parts of the plants we eat. The obvious veggies are featured here, but also specialized versions including watercress, Kennebec potatoes, golden self-blanching celery, and bell peppers (technically a fruit!), along with the familiar seed vegetables of corn and peas (although corn is different because of the husk rather than pod). Other topics touched on include harvesting, preserving, and shipping (along with brief history blurbs), as well as how to grow your own veggie garden. Packing in loads of information about nutritious vegetables, this is highly recommended. [Note: the companion volume The Fruits We Eat is also newly available.] Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)