FRESH-PICKED POETRY

A collection of poems celebrates farmers markets.

Beginning with “Market Day Today,” Schaub encourages readers to “spy the wonders / on display” where “farmers chat” and “musicians play.” In “Early Risers,” farmers “harvest, sort, / wash, and load” produce at dawn, and in “Transformed,” they convert city spaces into “tasty transformations.” “Pile Up” describes brown-skinned Farmer Rick meticulously stacking cauliflowers, peppers, beets, and peas in “perfect symmetry,” while “Is It Ripe” offers clues on testing cherries, peaches, melons, and apricots. Other poems extol the scrumptious scent of freshly baked goods, the twang and rattle of market music, the “ear to ear” joy of sweet corn, honey’s “liquid-gold alchemy,” and “eggs-traordinary” free-range eggs. Empty produce crates and brimming cupboards offer closure in “Day’s End.” Humorous, detail-rich, fresh-toned watercolor, graphite, ink, and Photoshop illustrations introduce a brown-skinned farm boy, a white city girl, and their respective dogs, who provide a diverting visual subtext as they explore the market while chasing their rambunctious pets across double-page spreads. “Fresh-Picked Reasons to Spend a Day at the Market” offers useful data on farmers markets.

Sprightly illustrations and engaging rhymes will leave readers eager to sample market bounty.