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Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes

Name: Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes
Author: Rosalind Creasy; illustrations by Ruth Heller
ISBN: 9780871565761

by Rosalind Creasy; illustrations by Ruth Heller

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Overview

Tomatoes are red, corn is yellow, and string beans are green. Or are they? Actually, lots of familiar foods grow in a rainbow of surprising colors. Image trying orange tomatoe, red popping corn, or purple string beans for a change.

This lively introduction to the joys of organic gardening covers everything you need to know in order to grow a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables in unexpected colors. The first section includes details on:

-planning your rainbow garden and ordering seeds

-preparing the soil and planting

-feeding, watering, and weeding

-dealing with garden pests without using poison

The second section provides detailed instructions for growing eight different rainbow crops, including:

-which varieties to order

-when and how to plant

-which garden pests to watch out for

-the best time to harvest

-how to serve and enjoy

"This book will not only promote the delight in growing plants but enhance the wonder in the natural world right in your own backyard. . . . Will make you want to start a garden today." —Appraisal

Describes how to plant and grow a variety of colorful vegetables, including red corn, yellow watermelons, and multicolored radishes.

About the Author, Rosalind Creasy; illustrations by Ruth Heller

Ruth Heller is one of America's best-loved children's authors. Known for her nonfiction picture books with clever rhymes and boldly colorful illustrations, she has more than thirty titles to her credit, including the best-selling Chickens Aren't The Only Ones. She makes her home in San Francisco, California.

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Editorials

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-What is at first glance a whimsical fantasy turns out to be a guide to growing unusually colored vegetables and fruits. The first part of the book contains clearly written, general gardening instructions-planning, ordering seeds from special nurseries, preparing soil, etc. Creasy's approach is organic- pests are dealt with in nonchemical ways. The second section contains specific information regarding each ``rainbow crop.'' A double-page spread shows the seed, plant, fruit or vegetable, a pest that may bother it, and a simple recipe, accompanied by clear, helpful text. In addition to the title plants, yellow zucchini, red chard, purple string beans, multicolored radishes, red popping corn, and yellow watermelon are included. Heller depicts the exotic-looking produce with stunningly bright, clear colors, giving readers an artistic treat as well as accurate information. The picture-book format is unusual for this age level, but just right for this presentation.-Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME

Carolyn Phelan

A gardening guide in picture-book format, this book offers practical advice for the novice of any age. As the title suggests, Creasy encourages young gardeners to plant a "rainbow garden" of edible plants in unusual colors: purple string beans, blue potatoes, yellow watermelons, red popping corn, and multicolored radishes. She begins with addresses of seed companies and general information on soil preparation, watering, weeding, organic fertilizing, and pest control, then offers a series of double-page spreads devoted to colorful plants. Each offers specific advice for obtaining and starting seeds and caring for the plants, along with recipes such as orange and red tomato swirls or sunshine zucchini muffins. Much of the book's appeal comes from Heller's bright and bountiful artwork, which is as decorative as it is informative. Children (or more likely perhaps, their parents and teachers) will find this an attractive guide to an unusual topic.