City Beet

5.0

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Author(s)

Tziporah Cohen

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Udayana Lugo

Publisher Name

Sleeping Bear Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 14, 2023

ISBN13

978-1534112711

ISBN10 or ASIN

When a notice for a community potluck is posted, Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta decide to bring a beet salad as their contribution. But first they need to grow this special vegetable for their dish. They plant the seeds in their garden plot, and throughout the summer they water, fertilize, weed, and mulch. And they watch their beet grow and grow and grow. On potluck day, it's time to harvest so they can make their salad. Victoria grabs the garlic and the grater and Mrs. Kosta steps up to remove the beautiful red veg from its underground home. But their care and attention has grown the biggest beet ever, and it stubbornly refuses to come loose. This beet won't budge! Will Victoria and Mrs. Kosta be able to make their special salad? Not to worry--help comes in all shapes and sizes. This clever, humorous take on an old folktale is a celebration of community and the ways we all come together. Back matter includes a beet salad recipe.

Editor review

1 review

Community and Belonging

June 30, 2023 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

When Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta spot a potluck sign, they decide to grow beets to make a salad. After planting it and tending to the beet while it grows, it's finally time to pull it out. There's just one problem: it's so big that it won't budge one bit no matter how hard Mrs. Kosta pulls. As people join in to help get it out, they still can't get the beet to move. Victoria keeps offering to help, but the adults tell her she's too young, so she starts preparing the salad. Finally, she decides it's time to take matters into her own hands and it's only then that the beet tears from the ground.

CITY BEET highlights small town life and coming together as a community. The illustrations are vibrant and I love the formatting of the words. At the end, I love how we see the diverse characters sitting down together for their potluck and it's a true community. There's even a recipe for raw beet and garlic salad in the back of the book that's easy enough for children to help throw together.

Final Verdict: Overall, this is a cute story for children who enjoy cooking and gardening. It's also refreshing to see the entire community come together and offer their assistance when it's needed. It also teaches that no matter how little you are, you can still help in some way.