Review Detail

Fresh Juice

Kids Fiction 240

A Juiced Up Cure for a Cold

April 07, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Art wants to go to the park, but his father can't shake a bad cold. The two decide to take the train to the farmer's market and get ingredients for some fresh juice. They get carrots and greens, but can't find the ginger that Art's teacher has recommended. Each store they stop at suggests another place they might want to go, including the food co op. When they get to the West African store, the owner has just sold the last of the fresh ginger. Not only that, but the train is not running! Luckily, Art's stepfather, Dhillon, is biking past, and he is the onw who bought the last of the ginger! They go to Art's mother's house where a groupd of friends and family prepare the ingredients and run the juicer with power from a generator attached to Dhillon's bike. The next morning, Art's dad feels much better, thanks to not only the juice but also the support of the community. A recipe for juice is included at the end of the book.

Good Points

Liu-Trujillo's colored pencil style illustrations are softly colored, and have lots of details of the different stalls and shops at the market. I was especially impressed by his ability to draw a bicycle, and the fact that Dhillon is shown wearing a helmet.

There are so many different kinds of vendors, with different products from all over. I'm not sure that I would want to drink juice with cayenne pepper from Mexico, even if it did kill my cold!

Farmers' markets are very interesting places, and it's a good idea to introduce young readers to the concept at an early age so that they are invested in the idea of fresh fruits and vegetables! Pair this with other books about this neighborhood institution, like Schaub and Huntington's Fresh-Picked Poetry, Kara's On the Farm, At the Market, and Trent's Farmers Market Day.