Reluctant eaters chant Rah, Rah, Radishes!

Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre; published by Beach Lane Books, New York; 2011.

Rooting for vegetables after the overindulgences of the holidays?  Have a reluctant eater?  Perhaps April Sayre’s gorgeous photos from her local farmer’s market will heighten your appetite for veggies of all kinds and colors.  Along with the poetic chant celebrating all things veg, even vegetable snobs will be seeking out some color for their winter dinner plates.  Using appetite increasing colors and white fonts adds to the appeal of the harvest on each page.

Of course this is a wonderful book for spring (why we plant gardens) and harvest time (yum), but I would promote this book in the dead of winter just to remind the kids why vegetables are a great addition to the dinner plate.  Seriously, how much meat and potatoes can a family eat in the winter?  It’s already bland outside, so add color to your plate!

I also adore the author’s note (“A Few More Bites”) at the end of the book explaining what vegetables are and using powers of persuasion to get wee folk to try new veggies.  As a librarian, I nearly squealed out loud when I visited the author’s website (www.aprilsayre.com) because she has a list of resources (including a read-aloud of the Rah, Rah, Radishes chant) and story time plans (yes, I said, story time plans) and resources for teachers (standards based).  Her resources are listed here (be sure to scroll all the way down to see all options): http://www.aprilsayre.com/educator-resources/.  Since we’re chanting, can I get an “Author! Author!”