FICTION

Fruit Bowl

illus. by Mark Hoffmann. 40p. Knopf. Jun. 2018. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781524719913.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—A disgraced tomato relegated to the crisper tries to convince readers that tomatoes are fruits. After his attempt to climb into the fruit bowl is foiled, a disappointed tomato uses logic, an X-ray, and, eventually, the wisdom of Old Man Produce to convince the audience that tomatoes really are fruits. When he regains his rightful place in the fruit bowl, tomato introduces some other vegetables that are actually fruits in disguise. An imaginative and entertaining reimagination of the relatively dull task of putting away the groceries and a thinly veiled "Tomatoes are Fruits" PSA. The anthropomorphized fruit are rendered in thick gouache paint on the bright kitchen background with simple but expressive faces and wiggly arms. The story is best enjoyed one-on-one as the text is conveyed entirely through word bubbles and readers will enjoy finding the puns, subtle and otherwise, that are sprinkled liberally throughout.
VERDICT An a-peel-ing addition with lots of curricular connections. For larger collections.

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