To Market, To Market

Gr 1—4—As a mother and son meander through the Olympia, WA, market, a full-page illustration shows them at a farmer's table while the facing page names the food sold there and briefly introduces the person who grows it. On the next page the farmer is illustrated at work and several paragraphs of elegant prose describe each process, ending with a simple "thank you." In this way, youngsters learn about apple-tree grafting and pruning, growing kale, beekeeping, smoking fish, baking, making batik napkins, and the art of cheese-making. Market day done, the mother and son head home with their loaded basket. Reminiscent of WPA woodcuts, McClure's mysterious and beautiful images are cut from black paper with an X-Acto knife; the lacelike result is scanned and colored. McClure's art and life intersect in this stirring tribute to the connections among nature, people, and the food that nourishes them. Maximize the impact in a "food for thought" display alongside Kathryn Lasky's Sugaring Time (S & S, 1983), Bonnie Geisert's Haystack (Houghton, 1995), Harriet Ziefert's One Red Apple (Blue Apple, 2009), and Jan Reynolds's Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life (Lee & Low, 2009).—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC