With so much national concern about child obesity and nutrition, this accessible, inviting introduction to vegetables, aimed at the picture-book crowd, is certainly timely. Following the tried-and-true formula found in her previous titles, Gibbons matches concise, simple text with bright, cheerful watercolor-and-ink artwork, and she adds more information in text boxes placed within the pictures. The facts range from the most basic ("It is good for us to eat vegetables. They are nutritious.") to the more advanced, such as a definition of hydroponics. Gibbons' survey is visually inclusive; the pictures show families of all shades enjoying vegetables in different ways. And the scenes in the garden, and then on the farm and at the supermarket, show both small- and large-scale production. A final page adds more interesting veggie trivia. For complementary titles about vegetables and how they're grown, pair this with George Ancona's Harvest (2001) and Deborah Kogan Ray's Lily's Garden (2002), as well as the books featured in "From Seed to Harvest," in the November 2006 issue of Book Links magazine.

With brief text and useful illustrations, Gibbons explains the eight groups of vegetables, such as stem, tuber, and leaf, and also includes basic farming information. While the somewhat dry text may not make kids beg to go down the produce aisle, teachers and caretakers will find the book useful for lessons on nutrition.

K-Gr 3 A clear, informative introduction to eight groups of vegetables, categorized by the part of the plant that is eaten. For each group, Gibbons includes an illustration of one representative veggie as it grows in a garden. The rest of the page includes illustrations of related plants. For example, readers see green beans on a plant but discover other seed vegetables such as peas, lima beans, and corn. Small insets show people harvesting or eating the crops. The author offers basic suggestions for starting a garden and shows how produce goes from large farms to processing plants and grocery stores. No matter if readers find their vegetables in their backyards, in the grocery store, or at a farmers market, they will have a better understanding of the origins of these vital foods. Familiar paneled illustrations and accessible text combine to present a simple, effective approach to the topic. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato