Customer Reviews

Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Everyone and everything-my daddy, my mommy, bugs and worms, clouds and sky, lakes and rivers, the sun and stars-are parts of the tomato you cannot see. Take away any one, and the little yellow pear tomatoes in my garden could not be." -from the book

Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes is a delightful 32-page book by Demian Elaine Yumei examining the universal circle of life through the innocent eyes of a young girl. Inspired by the author's youngest daughter (who really *does* love pear tomatoes)-as well as the Zen teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh-the little girl in the story marvels at all the energy and collaboration it takes to grow the tomatoes. From the earthworms who aerate the soil with their tunnels to her Mommy who weeds the garden, there are a lot of not-a-tomato things that are in little yellow pear tomatoes!

Filled with lush, vibrant illustrations by first time Mom Nicole Tamarin, Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes follows the contemplations of a little girl who see that everyone and everything brings something essential to the fruits she loves so much. Because many things contribute to the growing of the tomatoes-her Daddy who plants them, the sun which grants energy, the lakes, rivers and oceans that supply the clouds with water, and even the hearts of stars-all things are inside every little pear tomato.

Imbued with exquisite artwork and the gentle message of interconnectedness, Little Pear Tomatoes is a fitting book for such troubled times. Ever since we've gotten this book, my son has asked me to read it to him every night before bed. Interestingly, this month's picture on my kitchen calendar features tomatoes of all shapes, sizes and colors, so I was able to show my son pictures of actual yellow pear tomatoes. Admittedly, I hadn't heard of-or seen-these types of tomatoes until reading this book!

While the Amazon recommendation says that this book is geared towards babies and preschoolers, the words are advanced enough to challenge the reading skills of 7-8 year olds in my opinion. This is no mere picture book.

Inspired by Zen teachings, Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes is a children's picturebook about a young girl who explores the circle of life and marvels at the collaboration and effort involved in cultivating fruits she loves so much. Written in singsong rhyming verse, and beautifully illustrated in full color, Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes explores the fundamental connections between all people, labors, and things big and small. "I am in these little yellow pear tomatoes, too, / because if I didn't love eating them / so much, my daddy wouldn't plant them! // Each little yellow pear tomato / has the entire earth and all of heaven / in it... just like me. // I love little yellow pear tomatoes!"

Rebeccasreads highly recommends LITTLE YELLOW PEAR TOMATOES as a thoughtful & charming way to introduce kids to the growing cycle of life, from weeds to tasting, from worms to water, from sunshine to caterpillars, & of course, the little girl, because if she didn't like them, her daddy wouldn't grow them.

As a grower of LITTLE YELLOW PEAR TOMATOES, I wholeheartedly recommend this lovely book which will grace your family's library & entrance youngsters for generations to come.

The holistic Zen teachings of Thich Nat Hanh are behind this picture given by a young girl of everything that goes into the little yellow pear tomatoes in her family's garden. "A lot of not-a-tomato [italicized in original] things" are in them. Her mother and father are "in" the tomatoes for helping to cultivate them. Sunshine, worms, insects, and weather are also in the tomatoes because they are a part of the surrounding, ecological environment in which the tomatoes grow. Tamarin's dramatic shifts in perspective from illustration to illustration help carry this holistic message home to young readers. A farmland panorama is followed by earthworms in the ground beneath the tomato plants; in one double-page illustration, the young girl becomes smaller than a plant leaf, while in a later picture her head in shown among the planetary system.

Kids will get a lot out of this book. The text is excellent and the illustrations are great. They fit together very well. There were 13 scenes (2-pages each) included. I was able to get a good idea of the story just by turning the pages and looking at the pictures.

The story was about a little girl who lived on a farm where her father grew little yellow pear tomatoes for her. The little girl explained during the story how her little yellow tomatoes were able to grow on the farm. Very educational! I think little kids will enjoy having this book read to them over and over. The high quality of the text and illustrations should ensure that.

I would have liked the book better if I'd been told who the little girl was (what was her name?). Also, I did not see the need to include the concept of heaven. 5 stars!

This book helps create a bridge between people and their food at a time when we are most out of touch. An important and beautifully drawn tool to open a dialog between the reader and young one about the undeniable, but often overlooked, connection between all things on this planet.

"Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes", by Demian Elaine Yumei, captures the early wonder children find in the the garden. The book follows a little girl as she discovers all the "not-a-tomato things" that are necessary to create her very special garden treat.

The learning angle of this charming book is in how children discover how everything is connected. We all make a contribution, and her lesson is in seeing that her parents, the sun, the rain, and even the ladybugs and earthworms are all a part of the tiny yellow pear tomatoes that she loves so much.

The wonder and discovery in this book brought back the first time I tasted a wild strawberry that my grandmother inisisted we stop and pick. This serves as a spiritual reminder that even the most simple tasks of our daily life are connected to a farmer's harvest a hundred miles away, and the importance of teaching our children this. Deliciously illustrated, "Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes" makes a great gift and encourages children to share in the vital connection between all living things.

For more garden friendly book reviews, visit us at www.blessedgardens.com

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (8/06)

A young girl loves little yellow pear tomatoes. She delights in discovering what goes into growing them. "Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes" is a marvelous book for children.
The illustrations are beautifully done.

My grandchildren love to help us garden. They help us plant the seeds. They each have their own basket to collect the fruit and vegetables when it's time to harvest them. They have often asked "Why does this grow?" "Why does it take so long for the plant to bear fruit?" This wonderful book explains some of what goes into raising one of their favorite fruits. Daddy plants the seed and tills the soil. Mommy pulls the weeds. The bugs and worms do there part to keep the plant breathing. The clouds water the garden. The sun feeds the plants. All these things are part of the tomato. For if you take away one thing there would not be little yellow pear tomatoes.

I highly recommend this book for young children. It is beautifully written and illustrated.

Book received free of charge.

What a thought provoking book! As I read this story, I soon realized that my thinking about growing plants had been very wrong. I have always thought about seeds as containing everything needed to grow a plant - any plant. Isn't that what children everywhere are told? Some well meaning person holds up a tiny seed for a child's eyes to behold and patiently explains that the seed, no matter how diminutive it may seem, does indeed hold everything it needs to grow into its own type of vegetation. Of course, these are well meaning instructors who are simply trying to help children understand the miracle that is held inside even the tiniest seed, and what they say is true - but there is so much more!

Now, inside the pages of this beautifully illustrated book, we find a thoughtful child who not only looks at seeds as miraculous, but also understands that many other things are necessary for those seeds to produce fruit. That means there must be many things inside the little yellow pear tomatoes that helped them become the unique fruit that they are.

As we turn the pages of this book, we enter the mind of a little girl as she sits in her garden thinking about those little yellow pear tomatoes that she loves so well. She notes the difference between these tomatoes and other tomatoes - and there are many differences. Then she thinks about how her daddy and mommy help them to grow, how the sun and rain help them to grow, and even how the bugs and worms help them to grow. Are all these things now inside the little yellow pear tomatoes? Could the tomatoes grow without them?

***** As the story continues, children will learn to think about all the people, things, and situations that must be present in order for a little yellow pear tomato to mature. I enjoyed this story tremendously, and highly recommend it for all children. I think I can also guarantee that they will never again look at a seed (or a tomato) in the same way. *****

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson.