A behind-the-shelves look at the inner workings of supermarkets offers readers an in-depth examination of how the myriad foodstuffs come to be available in the grocery store. From the laborers in the fields and delivery trucks racing across town, to an overview of each section of a modern grocery store, readers observe the many steps required to provide the ultimate conveniences. Krull skillfully distills a huge morass of information into palatable, bite-size morsels of information. However, the text lacks definite linear progression. Rather, it has a tendency to jump back and forth among the topics. She moves from describing the farms that produce our staples into a discussion on the economic development of early communities and then on to a description of the food pyramid—all fundamentally interconnected, but presented in a dizzying whirl of information. Greenberg’s meticulously detailed illustrations are like grocery stores themselves: a kaleidoscope of sights and colors. Included in the pictures are intriguing tidbits of trivia: how potato chip companies know when to send product out, favorite ice cream flavors, etc. The end result is a tremendous amount of information, both visual and textual, for readers to assimilate. Yet after wading through it all, readers—both young and old—will never look at a supermarket with such innocent complacency as before. A fascinating peek into an amazingly complex industry that is virtually taken for granted by most of us. (Nonfiction. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1546-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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