Dear Broccoli by Jo Dabrowski illustrated by Cate James

Dear Broccoli,

Last night at dinner you were on my plate. 

AGAIN. 

This is the third time this week.

Please don't come back.

From, 

Frank. 

Dear Frank, 

Thank you so much for writing me a letter.

No one has ever written to me before.

I must say I was touched. And then I was amused - since I am always left untouched on your plate!

I am sorry to hear that you do not want me to return, but

I am afraid I cannot grant your request. 

The matter is out of my florets. 

Your parents decide when I attend.

I suggest you raise your concerns with them.

Yours sincerely, 

Broccoli 

I love the way Broccoli writes - his tone is so serious and also cheeky. These two are the first of a series of letters. Broccoli takes every opportunity to explain his value to Frank but will he convince this young boy to change his mind. 

This book will be an absolutely perfect to read aloud to your group of younger students age 7+. After your reading everyone could write a letter to a vegetable and then the students could swap their letters and write a reply from that same vegetable. Here are some other ideas for using this book with your school group. 

I know we are all supposed to eat five serves of vegetables each day but I will confess I don't always do this. I have all my standard weekly vegetables - potatoes; onion; carrots; pumpkin; cabbage; cauliflower; green beans; peas; corn; mushrooms; spinach; brussels sprouts; celery; lettuce; and I do eat broccoli every week. I am sure, though, that there are other vegetables that I could add to my basket - broccolini (I am not really a fan); kale (I have never eaten this one); snow peas (often a bit too expensive); asparagus (I eat this in season); leeks; baby squash; capsicum; eggplant (not a fan); lentils (never never); fennel (no no no); sweet potato (no); and Swiss chard (I have never even eaten this one).

Of course, as Broccoli himself points out in Dear Broccoli - tomatoes are fruits as is pumpkin. I wonder if rhubarb counts as a vegetable?

Here is an official list of vegetable categories:

Root Vegetables: These are plants whose edible parts grow underground. Examples include carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes, and turnips.

Leafy Greens: Leafy vegetables are known for their tender leaves and high nutrient content. Spinach, kale, lettuce, and Swiss chard fall into this category.

Cruciferous Vegetables: These vegetables belong to the Brassicaceae family and are known for their cross-shaped flowers. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage are cruciferous veggies.

Allium Vegetables: Alliums have a distinctive aroma and include garlic, onions, leeks, and shallots.

Podded Vegetables: These are vegetables enclosed in a pod or shell. Examples are peas, beans, and lentils.

Stem Vegetables: Stem vegetables are plants whose edible parts are stems or stalks. Asparagus and celery are common examples.

Jo Dabrowski is a children’s author and illustrator whose debut middle-grade novel, Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski, was shortlisted for the 2024 Readings Children’s Prize. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.  Cate James is an award-winning illustrator and printmaker from Sydney and Edinburgh.

I am a fan of books that contain letters like this between characters. The official term is epistolary. You might find these examples in your school or public library:

A Year in Fleurville by Felicita Sala

Recipes from balconies, rooftops and gardens.

In spring the people in Fleurville grow asparagus and then they make a delicious asparagus quiche. In Summer the cherries are ripe - time for a cherry clafoutis. High above the city peppers grow on a rooftop garden - perfect for those stuffed peppers. Now it is autumn and the pears are ripe. How about a plate of pear and ricotta pancakes.

My favourite pages in this scrumptious book come near the end where we see assorted seeds, gardening tools and a double spread of vibrant fruit and vegetables groups by seasons. 

Image source: Scribble Kids Books

A Year in Fleurville is the companion volume to Lunch at Pomegranate Street. These are two books that should be in every school library collection and I think they would be wonderful to also have in your home library collection. Read some review comments here. There are so many benefits that come from cooking with your child and even more joy if the cooking involves produce from your own garden - large or small. 

I love the illustrations in this book by Felicita Sala. She says "the illustrations in this book are made with watercolours, gouache and coloured pencils (with) hand lettering."

Here are some other books by Felicita:

Goodnight Veggies by Diana Murray and Zachariah OHora

What do the veggies do at night? Rhubarb reads stories to the broccoli. Baby carrots and baby lettuce snuggle into the soil. Cucumbers stay calm and celery is snoring. "Cranky corn rolls over and covers up its ears." They might be asleep but all of them are still growing assisted one mighty garden worm who we see tucked into his or her very long bed on the last page.

A bedtime veggie feast for the eyes and ears. Kirkus

Written in a musical rhyme, this picture book is ideal for reading aloud to toddlers and preschoolers. Waking Brain Cells

The childlike approach, appealing art, and relatable worm character are enough to connect story and audience ... Horn Book

This book is perfect for preschool children. With a group of older children you could use this book to demonstrate alliteration - Turnips tucked in tightly. There are also puns such as beets are simply beat. 2021 is the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables. My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything has a terrific list of books for this theme. You can see some terrific books about gardening at the Eric Carle site. See more books by Diana Murray and Zachariah OHora.  I am (as you would expect) quite keen to see his book called My cousin Momo.

We are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines illustrated by Julianna Swaney

We are all 'stuck' at home and many people (not all sadly) have access to a garden. It might be on a small balcony or if you are lucky you might have a whole backyard.

The family here - mum and dad and four kids - do not have a garden (at first). Dad buys a small fern for mum from the hardware store. Everyone is pleased and enthusiastic but perhaps they are too enthusiastic and sadly the indoor plant dies from overhydration - too much water.  The good thing, though, is that this family do not give up. They buy another indoor plant. They put it in a better position in their house and then set up a watering schedule. They also borrow some books from the library so they can learn how to take better care of plants - of course I think this is wonderful.

Over time they add more and more indoor plants and the plants all thrive so dad suggests it is time to look at the backyard.  The all work together to make a plan.

Then the family plant their favourite vegetables and flowers and learn about soil, seeds, water and bugs. There are the good bugs like ladybirds, the villains like aphids, and the secret agents - the worms. There are plant bullies too - the weeds but doing a little each day keeps them under control. Just when everything is growing beautifully the goats and rabbits arrive. Once again the family, which now has a new addition, are not defeated. On the final pages we see them all sitting down to a delicious meal made from all their own produce.

This is a perfect book to share with a family or with children aged 6+ especially if you are setting up your own garden. Take a look here to see my post about other terrific gardening books.

Joanna wrote this book with her own children.  You can read more about their experiences and see a trailer here. Here is an excellent set of teaching notes to extend your experience of reading this book and a set of colouring pages. You should also take a look at the web pages of illustrator Juliana Swaney. I am excited to discover Juliana illustrated The Book Uncle and me (US edition).

I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell

Language can be so confusing. "I am" - two words which might sound like "I yam".  Add in the complication of an actual Yam and a silly donkey and you have a perfect recipe for fun. The conversation goes back and forth and the frustration levels of poor Yam are so funny. This is a book to read aloud. It is sure to tickle your funny bone.

"Okay. So what you is saying is that you is a donkey, right?"
"NO! I am not a donkey! And it's not 'you is'! It's 'you are'! You are, you are, you are!"

I read one reviewer who mentioned children might not know about yams? 

The wordplay is kid-pleasingly silly with a tiny whiff of sophistication: you have to know what a yam is in order to get the joke, for example, and also have a rudimentary grasp of grammar. Horn Book

Image Source North Carolina Sweet Potatoes

You can see the art from this book here on Seven Impossible Things.

Here is another book by Cece Bell which I talked about on this blog - Rabbit and Robot - the Sleepover.

There is a sequel to I Yam A Donkey - You loves Ewe (2019).

I was interested to read Cece Bell is married to Tom Angleberger author of the terrific Origami Yodi series which are perfect for Middle Grade readers.

It is not on the same topic but I would pair I Yam a Donkey with Wonkey Donkey - just because it is another very funny book about donkeys.

Tales for very picky eaters by Josh Schneider

This is a book you should read just for the fun of the storytelling.

Tales for very picky eaters has five simple stories with tantalizing titles:

• The tale of the disgusting broccoli
• The tale of the smelling lasagna
• The tale of the repulsive milk
• The tale of the lumpy oatmeal
• The tale of the slimy eggs

James does not want to eat these food but through good humour and wild storytelling his father is able, each time, to change his mind.

James asks about an alternative to broccoli. (Personally I adore broccoli and I feel sad that brussels sprouts and broccoli receive such bad press.)  His father offers dirt, used chewing gum or a sweaty sock flavoured with apple and cinnamon.  James changes his mind!

James complains the lasagna smells funny. His father explains he will now have to fire the troll who labours hard to make this lasagna down in their basement.  The troll  will have to return to his old job working for the rat circus.  James feels sorry for the troll and decides to eat the lasagna.

"Milk is repulsive and I won't drink it.' 'That's probably a good idea,' said James's father.  "Milk give growing children strong, hard bones.  Think of all the great things you could do with nice soft bones." It is easy to imagine what happens next when James thinks about all the sports he loves to play.

This little book was the winner of the 2012 Theodore Geisel Award. We have nearly all the past winners in our library.  Here is the review in Kirkus.

Children love seeing how the father spins these outrageous tales, until at the very end James turns the tables on his father when he actually decides to try something new.