Salad

Children's Literature - Gwynne Spencer

This large-print easy reader introduces readers to green salad, cucumbers, onions, beets, peppers, corn, mushrooms, and celery. Like each of the other books in the "On Your Plate" series, this includes all-color pictures with one or two sentences of accompanying text and a smaller print sentence of additional text; it is like a Powerpoint presentation that has been turned into a book. Throughout the series, the term "healthy" is misused (i.e., things are "healthful" while people are "healthy," according to my usage guides). Some of the pictures show plants growing, but this is by no means a consistent design choice. This is a shame since many kids have never seen the source-plant in its natural setting, especially young readers for whom this series seems to have been designed. For instance, celery is shown growing in a greenhouse, but none of the other entries are similarly illustrated; thus, a teachable moment is missed! The book ends with a two-page "Things To Do" matching quiz that readers can use to test their memory of the text. A brief glossary and index are included. The publisher-provided blurb suggests that "[l]atch-key kids will also appreciate the number of recipes and meal suggestions included in each volume," but I did not see ANY recipes in this volume. Reviewer: Gwynne Spencer