Oliver's Vegetables [Hardcover]

Vivian French (Author), Alison Bartlett (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Refusing to eat any vegetables that are not french fries, Oliver visits his grandfather and is amazed at the wide variety of vegetables that grow in his garden, and vegetable eating soon becomes a game.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?On a visit to his grandparents' house, Oliver wants to eat only French fries. Grandpa tells him that he may look in the garden for potatoes, but that he must eat what he finds, whatever it may be. On the first evening, Oliver pulls up carrots and discovers that he likes them. On successive days he discovers spinach, rhubarb, cabbage, beets, and peas?all of which he eats with unexpected enjoyment. On the last evening, he finds the potatoes at last and as he is sitting down to supper his mother arrives. Oh dear! Too bad! She thinks Oliver is still eating only fried potatoes. Oliver and his grandparents laugh delightedly at the irony, and so will small listeners. Bartlett's paintings are abstract, yet quite understandable for young children who are still visually inexperienced. Odd perspectives and proportions add to the pleasure of looking?as when the vegetables in the garden seem to be larger than the humans. Lush colors of growing things seem splashed on the pages with a carefree joy. Have some fresh veggies ready for snacking.?Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-7. Simplicity is the hallmark of this vibrant picture book. French fries fan Oliver is spending a week with his grandparents. After declaring, "I don't eat vegetables," he strikes a bargain with Grandpa. If he finds the potatoes in Grandpa's vegetable garden, he can have fries. But if he finds something else, he must eat it with no complaints. The streamlined text has an appealing rhythm: Tuesday's spinach is "good," Wednesday's rhubarb is "very good," and Thursday's cabbage is "very, very good." The sweeping, childlike acrylic paintings explode with bright colors, large forms, and intricate textures. Oliver's ever-present, inquisitive pooch, bespectacled Grandpa, and hip, earring-wearing Gran are as expressive as the hero. Use this breezy story as the centerpiece in a preschool story time about food or gardens--or just for plain old fun. Julie Corsaro

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531094626
• ISBN-13: 978-0531094624
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vivian French is an acclaimed children's author with a long and respected list of titles to her name. She lives in Edinburgh and is a regular attendee at the Edinburgh Book Festival where she hosts events with illustrators of picture books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oliver's Garden is A Feast for Chldren, August 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Oliver's Vegetables (Venture-Health & the Human Body) (Paperback)

Oliver's Garden is a charmiang book about a boy named oliver who won't eat any vegetable except for - French Fries! His mother takes him to his grandpa's house for a week long visit, and when Oliver asks for French Fries, his grandpa tells him "If you can fnd the potatoes in my garden, we'll have French Fries. If you can't you must eat whatever you find". The next seven days are full of discovery for Oliver as he searches each day for the potatoes. A great book for small children and early readers, it is colorful, easy to read and fun. My child has learned how vegetables can be ingredients in lots of diferent foods, and , most important, has gotten more adventurous in trying new vegetables!

5.0 out of 5 stars eat your veggies, December 25, 2009

By 

Pamela Mele - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oliver's Vegetables (Paperback)

Wonderful story about a boy learning to eat veggies!
















Great way to get your kid to eat veggies

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute Book, August 19, 2008

By 

Puppydog Jammies (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oliver's Vegetables (Venture-Health & the Human Body) (Paperback)

I love the story & the lesson behind this book. Oliver refuses to eat veggies until he makes a deal with his grandfather. Everything he grows he has to eat. Oliver ends up loving all of his veggies & when his mother comes to pick him up after he'd spent the summer with his grandparents she can't believe that Oliver ate so many veggies.