On the Farm, At the Market

by G. Brian Karas, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Overview

On the farm, workers pick vegetables, collect eggs, and make cheese. At the market the next day, the workers set up their stands and prepare for shoppers to arrive. Amy, the baker at the Busy Bee Café, has a very special meal in mind-and, of course, all the farmers show up at the café to enjoy the results of their hard work.

This informative book introduces children to both local and urban greenmarkets and paints a warm picture of a strong, interconnected community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805093728
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	75,308
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

G. Brian Karas has illustrated many popular books for children, including Seals on the Bus, The Village Garage, and Whale Trails, Before and Now. He lives with his family in Rhinebeck, New York.

Editorial Reviews

03/14/2016
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.)

Publishers Weekly

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year

"Karas’s signature cartoonish gouache, acrylic, and pencil illustrations wonderfully capture the industrious bustle and hard work of the farmers. . . A wonderfully timely story to read before visiting a farmer’s market or to educate young ones about provenance of local food."—School Library Journal

"Simple but delectable."—Kirkus Reviews

"[An] entertaining and enlightening behind-the-scenes story . . . Gouache, acrylic, and pencil illustrations are rich with the colors of a bountiful harvest, and a cheerful camaraderie shines throughout."—The Horn Book

"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."—Publishers Weekly


“Karas' pencil drawings, colored with gouache and acrylics, add intriguing detail. This inventive look at maritime history has significant modern child appeal.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review on Whale Trails, Before and Now

“Children will enjoy watching this amiable crew balancing work and play as the year cycles through the seasons. . . Great for kids fascinated by outdoor workers, this picture book offers a welcome change of pace from more basic volumes on trucks.” —Booklist on The Village Garage

“Sunny, energetic artwork makes life and work in this village feel joyous and rewarding. Inspired readers might head straight outside to their own yards, ready to weed the garden or rake leaves.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Village Garage

From the Publisher

01/01/2016
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

School Library Journal

2015-12-22
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. Simple but delectable. (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews