A companion to Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant (2011), Sayre's newest incantation is a mouthwatering paean to fruit om such usual suspects as blueberries and strawberries to more exotic tangelos, tamarillos, durians, persimmons, and kiwanos. Along with enjoying the simple rhymes' pounding, elemental rhythms ("Figs are fabulous. / Currants call. / Love a lychee Fruit eyeball!"), young audiences can feast their eyes on a set of large, intensely colored close-up photos of each fruit in, usually, temptingly heaped-up grocery displays. Closing with a giggle-inducing spread of sliced-fruit smiley faces followed by a final note on fruit's natural functions and nutritional value, this will not only forcibly turn storytime into snack time, but it should also be a hit whether read alone or aloud, before or after any meal.

In this companion to Rah, Rah, Radishes!, bouncy rhymes are paired with colorful fruit photos ranging from the usual suspects to those that will elicit "What's that?" responses from both child and adult readers (e.g., rambutans, mangosteens). The simple text identifies the produce shown in attractive farmer's market settings. Appended "Fruit for Thought" further encourages enjoyment of the subject.

Sayre follows up her salute to vegetables (Rah, Rah, Radishes!, 2011) with this rousing chant in favor of fruit. "Rah, rah, raspberries! / Go, go, grapes! / Savor the flavors. / Find fruity shapes!" With these staccato rhythms and cheerleading words, Sayre sets the stage for one long chant that will have kids clamoring for a fruit snack. Going well beyond (but including) the standard apple, orange, banana, grapes and berries, she entices readers with such exotics as tamarillo, kiwano, guava, rambutan, currant, durian and the wonderfully named dragon fruit. In piles, baskets and boxes brimming with fruit, Sayre shows off the colors and textures, yet she does not shy away from depicting even those specimens that are not completely perfect. Several fruits are cut to show off their insides, such as the seeds of the kiwi and pomegranate and the intriguing cross sections of a lychee and mangosteen (readers may find themselves wondering which parts of these are edible). Taken primarily at farmer's markets, mom-and-pop stores and fruit stands and often including hand-lettered signs proclaiming their farm of origin, her photographs send a subtle message to support local farmers and businesses. "Shapes. Textures. Colors. Smells. Fruit is art you can eat!" she marvels in an afterword. Ah, would that readers could pluck Sayre's art right off the page and savor its juiciness. Plan a fruit-buying scavenger hunt after reading this one--even picky eaters are sure to be tempted. (Nonfiction picture book. 3-7)

PreS-Gr 1 This companion to Sayre's Rah, Rah, Radishes! (S &; S, 2011) introduces another important food group. Short, catchy rhyming phrases line nearly full-page photos of fruits, ranging from the familiar, like apples, oranges, and, of course, grapes, to the more exotic rambutans, lychee, and persimmons. All of them are pictured in baskets or bunches, the way they would look in the supermarket. This approach presents the types of produce as kids are likely to encounter them. The rhythm of the text and the size of the images make this book a good choice for sharing with a group. However, readers should note that sometimes two fruits share a picture, and it isn't always clear which one is which, so a little bit of pre-storytime research might be in order. The book ends with a page on fruit facts and a spread of fruit faces proclaiming: "Fruit is fun!" Kids are bound to agree. Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar &; Preparatory School, New York City