Tomato harvest is about over here. I still have a few
turning red, with one or two straggling in every day. This year’s harvest was less than
exceptional, but we appreciated what we got. Nothing’s better than a tomato
right off your own vine!
One year I goofed. I wanted eight plants, but bought eight four-packs!
That year, we had too many tomatoes! (But really, is there such a thing?)
In full harvest mode, Eric Ode’s book Too Many Tomatoes
shows a boy's excitement in watching his grandparents' garden grow and the number of tomatoes it yields: “A plateful, a crateful,
a grateful hooray! This town has too many tomatoes today!” Almost
tongue-twisting with steady rhythm and rhyme, this book is a joy to read. Kids
will love to say the verses, such as “A biscuit to butter, a basket to borrow.
Sing me a song of tomatoes tomorrow!”
Illustrator Kent Culotta adds rollicking fun details in his
illustrations of people, vehicles, and a farmer’s market.
Read this book with your favorite child over some tomato soup or spaghetti with tomato sauce!
No matter how you say "tomato," don't call the whole thing off:
