Cheers for a Dozen Ears

January 6, 2014
The team behind the shapes-focused Pick a Circle, Gather Squares returns with a counting book that emphasizes eating fresh, local produce. A mother and her two children with sun-varnished faces and mussed hair, visit a farm stand, first selecting “1 watermelon so smooth and round./ 2 purple eggplants that weigh two pounds.” Vibrant variations in color and composition in Swan’s collages point to the myriad of edible treasures to be discovered at the fruit stand or farm. Chernesky closes by underscoring the importance of supporting local growers: “But first, put some money in the can./ Farmers work hard to feed the land.” Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Susan Hawk, the Bent Agency.

March 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-This farm-stand adventure takes youngsters on a lively shopping excursion, counting from 1 to 12. Effective for sharing both with a group and one-on-one, crisp rhyming text creates a high-energy atmosphere that will appeal to even the youngest fruit and vegetable lovers: "Dog day August/and it's steamy hot./Let's take a drive to/the farm stand spot." Armed with Mom's list, two enthusiastic siblings start collecting: one watermelon, two eggplants, and so on, all the way up to a dozen ears of corn. Mom mostly stays in the background, but she occasionally intervenes in this orderly collecting to add more items (green beans) or put some back (berries). The chunky, layered art in bright colors calls forth the deliciousness of late summer, though sometimes the many details can make isolating the objects to count a challenge. Overall, this hearty picture book serves as an encouraging prompt to practice counting while grocery shopping as well as a great warm up for the next trip to a farmer's market.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2014
Chernesky and Swan (Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes, 2013) reunite, again pairing a season with an early learning concept. This time, a mom and two siblings visit a farm stand on a hot summer day. The boy and girl count their way through Mom's list, from 1 watermelon to 12 ears of corn. Chernesky's rhymed couplets are uneven, with spry ones undercut by others that employ tired rhymes or sacrifice kid appeal for rhythm. One sturdy couplet ("1 watermelon so smooth and round. / 2 purple eggplants that weigh two pounds") is followed by doggerel: "3 bell peppers: orange, green, and yellow / 4 cucumbers. What bumpy fellows!" The lines "9 fine tomatoes are firm and red. / 10 plump plums will keep us well-fed" convey an intrusively persnickety, adult tone, out of step in a child's narrative. Swan's digital-and-cut-paper collages elevate the piece, presenting a riotous harvest of brilliant produce against an azure sky and green fields. The light-brown-skinned children (perhaps Latino) exude good spirits, but Swan--an extraordinary colorist, highly skilled at capturing texture by combining painted, cut paper and digital elements--is not at her best depicting humans. The cheerful but banal faces of people are static and cartoonish throughout. But those onions and peaches? Gorgeous. Nails its seasonal and counting concepts, with both flair and flaws. (Picture book. 4-7)

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