On the Farm, at the Market

What goes on behind the scenes at a farmers market?

In two sections, Karas describes the day-before work of a truck farmer, a cheese maker, and a mushroom grower, then the action on the day itself, including the setup, the sales, and the upcoming dinner at the Busy Bee Cafe. A simple and upbeat text is accompanied by illustrations that fill out a narrative spiced with some gentle, realistic humor. A new employee thinks she’s finished her work when she’s checked off all the assigned tasks at the Amazing Cheese Dairy Farm, but she still has to mop the floor; the last job for the mushroom grower is to change a tire on his truck. Ranging from vignettes to double-page spreads, these pencil, gouache, and acrylic images show diverse groups of farm workers, vendors, and customers, united in their enjoyment of both their work and the Sunday-morning market, which even includes entertainment. The final activity, of course, is cleaning up. These pictures include sufficient detail to warrant careful inspection. Readers will see what the cafe owner has made with her cheese, chard, leeks, mushrooms, and eggs on the very last page, where a concluding author’s note points up the hard work that results in the bounty displayed at the market and reminds young marketgoers to thank their farmers.

PreS-Gr 1--A great behind-the-scenes look at what happens before, during, and after a farmer's market. The first half of the book shows farmers and their children getting ready for the next day's market, picking and crating vegetables, making cheese, and gathering mushrooms. The second half shows the market set up, customers buying comestibles, and, finally, everyone cleaning up at the end of the day. An author's note at the back emphasizes the importance of timing for farmers and that farming is no easy job. Karas's signature cartoonish gouache, acrylic, and pencil illustrations wonderfully capture the industrious bustle and hard work of the farmers. VERDICT A wonderfully timely story to read before visiting a farmer's market or to educate young ones about provenance of local food.--Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

Karas (A Poem in Your Pocket) hints at the structure of this picture book through its title: the first half follows the activity at three farms as vegetables are harvested, cheese is made, and mushrooms are grown, while the second half is set at a busy neighborhood market. Beyond providing intriguing details about farming--vegetables "get washed right away to take out the field's heat," and mushrooms are grown on hanging plastic bags "filled with a mixture of hay, sawdust, and water" that mimic tree trunks--Karas puts a strong emphasis on long hours and hard work, including late-night cleanup at the Amazing Cheese Dairy Farm and early morning setup at the market. Working in a mixture of gouache, acrylic, and pencil, Karas creates inviting and carefully detailed scenes that evoke a tight-knit community, from the friendly interactions at the market to the children learning the ropes at each farm, as the process of training a new generation of growers and artisans gets underway. Ages 5-9. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Apr.)