There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables

by Kyle Lukoff, Andrea Tsurumi (illustrator)

A hilarious new picture book that exposes vegetables for what they truly are―leaves, roots, flowers, and stalks.

Chester plans to have a salad for lunch, but in order to do that, he'll need vegetables. So, off he goes to the community garden, except he quickly learns that he won't be dressing a salad anytime soon. Instead, the vegetables start dressing him down. According to them, "vegetables" don't exist!

I know what you are thinking: What the bell pepper? Vegetables are totally real! But here's the thing: Kale is just a leaf, broccoli is a flower, potatoes are roots, and celery...well, stalks. Thanks to a lively, sassy cast of talking "veggies," Chester learns a valuable lesson about categories and how they shape our understanding of the world.

With a slyly informative text and illustrations that will crack readers up, the schooling in There's No Such Thing As Vegetables will be easy to digest and is a total treat.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Humor, Fantasy, Childrens, Nature, Plants

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 27, 2024

About the author

Kyle Lukoff writes books for kids and other people.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Kyle worked at five bookstores, in four libraries, for three schools, as two genders, through one intersection: people, and books.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

With There's No Such Thing as Vegetables (2024), Lyle Lukoff's words and Andrea Tsurumi's accompanying artwork present in a delightful marriage of engaging text and brightly descriptive images how Chester, when he is asked to gather vegetables for a salad from the community garden, encounters a hilariously cocksure and opinionated cast of anthropomorphic garden produce who categorically reject the “vegetable” label, with each of them instead insisting on being recognised for their true, for their actual botanical identity and being called this as well (for example, that broccoli florets are flowers, that potatoes are roots, and how tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and peppers are in fact considered to be fruits), that Chester (after much initial frustration) and also readers/listeners of There's No Such Thing as Vegetables finally end up realising and accepting and like the book title points out, that truly, there is in fact no such thing as vegetables.

And Lukoff’s playful narrative for There's No Such Thing as Vegetables, it not only tells an entertaining story but equally allows the cheeky and funky plants Chester encounters in the community garden to explain their important botanical roles (pollinators, drawing up nutrients from the earth, photosynthesis etc.), making There's No Such Thing as Vegetables not only something engagingly entertaining but also something that is botanically enlightening, is educational in an unobtrusive and fun manner, with Andrea Tsurumi's bright and colourful artwork imbuing each of the garden produce featured in There's No Such Thing as Vegetables with distinct visual personalities, so that from the indignant kale to the sassy beet, Tsurumi's depicted facial expressions perfectly capture the lighthearted absurdity and humour of There's No Such Thing as Vegetables and very nicely mirror and reflect Lyle Lukoff's penmanship, although I do wish that Chester were depicted, that he were drawn a bit less stiffly and with more emotion by Andrea Tsurumi. Furthermore, even though I usually do not particularly enjoy anthropomorphism all that much except in folk and fairy tales, no, for There's No Such Thing as Vegetables, the talking and acting like humans broccoli florets, potatoes, beets and the like do not actually bother me either textually or illustratively (and that the produce encountered in There's No Such Thing as Vegetables might smile, smirk, glower and talk like humans, but they still totally look like broccoli, beets, carrots and the like and are thus and thankfully also not pictured by Tsurumi as donning, as wearing clothes).

But not only are vegetables randomly labeled, so too are concepts and objects like money, language, maps and the like and are also influenced by biases etc. that go back thousands of years (albeit I do kind of wish that Lukoff would not point out in There's No Such Thing as Vegetables that borders between countries are arbitrary and artificial even though that is actually true, as this is unfortunately precisely what vile and putrid Donald Trump is currently using as an excuse to threaten annexing and maybe even potentially invading Canada and Greenland, and indeed rather like Adolf Hitler did with Poland in 1939). But while There's No Such Thing as Vegetables and what Kyle Lukoff has penned does not delve all that deeply into such complex themes, There's No Such Thing as Vegetables certainly plants a seed (and with a bit of a pun intended here), encouraging curiosity about how we identify ourselves, how we categorise the world around us. And yes indeed, Lyle Lukoff has all the anthropomorphic plants in There's No Such Thing as Vegetables call themselves and each other by their preferred terms (names) and live in complete and perfect harmony (something that makes me smile, albeit this is also a bit pie-in-the-sky, something that makes my rating for text and images for There's No Such Thing as Vegetables be solidly four stars, and with my only and very mild complaint being that I do think There's No Such Thing as Vegetables should most definitely be including a list of books and websites on botany and on social constructs for further research, study and reading).

[Elizabeth]

I believe I heard about this picturebook from this excellent Betsy Bird interview.

You know, it’s funny, I’ve been joking that it will be a nice change of pace to have a book that’s safe from the book banning movement because it’s not gay or anything. But I also believe that this book is, by far, my most politically radical. I’ve also joked that if picture books had epigraphs, this one’s would be “Every border implies the violence of its maintenance.” (Ayesha A. Siddiqi).

Chester's mom asks him to get some vegetables from the community garden so she can make a salad. Chester encounters lots of plants he thinks are vegetables, but each of them insists it isn't.

The illustrations are great (s0 fun! the foods have so much personality! -- and the transition from the frontpapers to the endpapers is also a delight).

The reader sympathizes with Chester's intuition that of course these foods are vegetables -- and also with Chester's struggle to articulate a definition of "vegetable" that includes everything we think of as a vegetable (and only includes those things).

Familiar to readers of Lukoff's Different Kinds of Fruit , the foods explain what they are -- and why those are coherent categories but "vegetable" isn't.

Chester then asks, "If there's no such thing as vegetables, why do people call you vegetables?" which leads to a brief lesson on social constructs. I'm sympathetic to reviewers who think that bit doesn't stick the landing, but I still appreciated it -- and also the author's note at the end:

When I was seven I learned that tomatoes are technically fruits, but are usually considered vegetables. Ever since then I've been curious about categories. Which ones are important? Which ones don't really matter? Have they always been the same, or do they change over time?

One kind of category is called a social construct. Social constructs are ideas that groups of people invent together. Social constructs are real, because they affect your experience of living in the world. But they are also made up, and aren't "real" in the same way that the sun or the air you need to breathe are real.

What are some other social constructs that you know about? What is something that is both real and not real at the same time?

Thinking about social constructs means wondering about why people are split into groups, like the human version of fruits and vegetables. Asking questions about these categories can help you figure out which social constructs help and which social constructs hurt. And asking those questions can also help you change them, hopefully for the better. I hope this book made you laugh and that this note makes you think.

[Liese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, teaching about social constructs via the lens of all the plants that are lumped together as vegetables! Also, the first time I have seen "semantic satiation" explained in a picture book, or maybe ever!

[Dontaná · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really cute and informative.

[Sarah BT]

A fun picture book to make you think! A great introduction to the idea of social constructs and the way we like to group things. A great book to start a discussion.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me begin by thanking my friend Manybooks for introducing me to this informative and hilarious book.

Poor Chester! This young man is sent to harvest some vegetables from the community garden, but they turn out to be the most persnickety produce ever! They’re all offended that they were lumped in together in one category when they see themselves as very different.

While readers will adore Newbery Honor-winning author Kyle Lukoff’s clever explanations, make sure not to miss Andrea Tsurumi’s illustrations that show each vegetable in its curmudgeonly glory. That snarl on one of the Brussels sprouts proved priceless!

[Hannah]

Positively delightful and peak Kyle

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I honestly don’t like vegetables all that much (am a pretty picky eater at times, but have gotten better over the years). I was laughing for another reason though. In this book, a boy goes to pick some vegetables for a salad, but each time he goes to pick one, they tell him “no thank you” and “there’s no such thing as vegetables.” Confused, the boy tries to make his point that there ARE such things as vegetables and even brings up examples. Again, he is met with insistence that this is not the case. The plants point out that some of them are actually fruits and they talk about how they are each different. In the end, a book about going to make a salad becomes a book about the categories people place things into. What makes a vegetable? What makes a fruit? Or are they all just delicious (or not so great) things to eat?

#SocialConstructs

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 127.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plant and food science come across in a delightful way with humor and some serious food for thought.

Chester's mother sends him to the garden to pick vegetables for their salad. Of course, he isn't going to pick anything without asking first (how rude would that be?), but when he tells each 'vegetable' what he's looking for, they send him away with a solid explanation of why they aren't a vegetable. Cauliflower, lettuce, and even the peas send him away, but with such a huge garden, there must be veggies somewhere.

While talking vegetables/fruits/leaves/roots/stalks/whatnots could border on cliche, this book branches off in a great mix of humor and facts. It's hard not to smile as Chester heads out to the garden with his mother's orders and a basket in arm because it's clear that things aren't going to go smoothly. And he has such good intentions! His politeness and kindness makes him sympathetic, and it's hard not to hope he can find a few veggies for the salad. As each veggie/fruit/...well, you get the idea...explains why they don't fit into the veggie category, they never come off as rude or snarky. Their arguments are simple, clear, cute and make sense, and these are supported with just the right amount of scientific facts for readers to understand exactly what's going on. There's a little bit of botany , but it remains basic and flows seamlessly into the humorous tale.

The illustrations are bright and playful, making each item easy to identify while bringing it to life. The scientific aspects are clearly portrayed, when needed, to aide in understanding, but these stay fun, too. Some of the veggies/fruits/etc will be familiar, while others might need to be identified, which is another learning chance for young readers.

It's a cute read to use for story time and also works well as an original way to lead into the theme of fruits versus vegetables for groups settings. It promotes critical thinking and opens up the chance for discussions and, maybe, even the first hints of debate. For a seemingly simple, humorous book, it packs more than is obvious at the first glance. I received a DRC and found this to be very well done.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work at a public library, and nonfiction kidlit is one of the areas that I help catalogue, display, and recommend. This is one of my favorite nonfiction picture books published in the last year. I love how it takes a serious topic (problems of categorization) and makes it accessible and fun for children.

(Sidenote: I did my master's thesis in composition and literature on problems of categorization. I looked at some post-structuralists and some linguists, so this book appeals to me).

The author takes the reader through a garden and introduces them to vegetables that are personified (possessing expressive faces). The child has been tasked with picking vegetables for a salad, only to learn that they are flowers, fruit, roots, leaves, and other types of plants. Towards the end, the book introduces the phrase social construct and quickly uses maps outlining countries as an example of a social construct.

Yes, I know that it's comforting to have firm categories, but ideas are more tidy than natural phenomena. (This is why I studied problems of categorization. You should see my try to organize my herbs and spices! Or when I had physical music CDs, I was constantly fussing over how to organize them. Don't get me started on my bookshelves!)

Oh, I want to buy 20 copies of this and give them out as holiday gifts this year. (How do we define the seasons? That's another tricky topic. By the calendar? By how plants and animals respond? By degrees of daylight? By the weather?)

Anyway. Can you see why I love this book! Find a category that works for justifying why you are buying this book.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Lukoff and Andrea Tsurumi team up to provide a hilarious conversation between Chester and a garden of “vegetables.” Chester’s mom wants a salad, but when he arrives in the community garden, the “vegetables” argue they are not vegetables. Informative dialogue ensues where the “vegetables” insist they are either leaves, roots, fruits, or flowers. The storyline is fun, the illustrations are emotive.

Coming to the author’s note at the end, the story is a poignant metaphor for social constructs and how we categorize everything, even groups of people. It changes the lens in which you read this book - audiences will either enjoy this book for what it is (a book about non-vegetables), or contemplate the deeper meaning behind the text. Some readers may be left with more questions and confusion at the end in regard to how they should name their food.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a comic book style humor and speech bubbles. The boy is talking to the community garden while trying to figure out which plants are vegetables that he can add to his salad. Teaches kids about different plants and the uses and definitions of different plants. It goes over why fruits are fruits. It also goes over how vegetables are a social construct (with an author's note in the back about social constructs!) and teaches kids the meaning and use of semantic satiation (which I have NEVER seen in a children's picture book and probably will never see again??). Fun illustrations and makes you pause and think!

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy goes to the community garden to get some veggies for his salad. But instead, the vegetables tell him he's mistaken: there are no such thing as vegetables. There are flowers, stems, roots, fruits, and much more, but no vegetables. This gets the boy thinking about other social constructs.

This is much better as a thought experiment than as a story. Social constructs are really fun to think about, and this book emphasizes the way that even something as simple as the category "vegetable" might not be what it seems. However, the beginning is slow, the explanations take too long to come, and the ending isn't very satisfying. It's a really fun concept, just not a good plot.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Thinking about social constructs means wondering about why people are split into groups [...] Asking questions about these categories can help you figure out which social constructs help and which social constructs hurt." (from the author's note). I appreciate this light and silly take on categories and how they shape our world. In order to get to the more significant purpose that Lukoff expresses in his author's note, it took more conversation with my kids about this book, but I appreciate the conversation that took place.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
I read a digital advanced reader's copy courtesy of the publisher
"Vegetables" make a good point when Chester goes out to the community garden to pick some for a salad. They're not vegetables. They are flowers (broccoli), roots, (potato and beet), stems (celery), and even (gasp!) fruits (eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers, to name a few) Gives the reader time to ponder about the labels we use.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy sets out to the garden to gather veggies to make a salad and ends up arguing with the plants, which refuse to be labeled as vegetables. Their argument ends up being a confusing mishmash of non sequiturs with a pinch of semantic satiation. Cartoonish illustrations don’t clarify matters, though the plants—whatever they’re called—do look good enough to eat, but their personification conjures cringeworthy associations with Soylent Green. So much for “social constructs.”

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and the illustrations of the vegetables are great. Interesting topic, social constructs-how humans have created categories that can be constraining or inaccurate but still exist. Kids definitely understand the conflict of tomatoes being called a vegetable. however, I’m not sure even fifth graders would totally appreciate or understand the point of this book and the value of questioning social constructs

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

About categories and what they are or aren't based on. (Doesn't quite get to what work the category of "vegetable" might actually do, which is some pieces of all the things Chester mentions together.) Can be read on its own as a funny story, but with the author's note can prompt interesting discussion.

I have a lot of these kinds of conversations with students in certain math and data science courses (hi #HoagieHomies), and now I'm thinking about a way to incorporate this in the future.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just a botany primer, but also, as the note at the end explains, an exploration of the concept of a "social construct." Some of these are useful, as in, it's healthy to eat more vegetables. Some are less so, like 'race' to distinguish among different members of the human race. (Race is my example; Lukoff leaves the finding of examples as an exercise to the reader.) Another excellent book by one of my favorite authors.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broccoli is a flower, Potato is a root, and Celery is a stalk. So what is a vegetable? What other classifications do we use that are decided solely by society? This is absolutely NOT a good book for storytime, but would be good for an elementary school class presentation - even for 4th and 5th graders.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to find the right place to read this book because I LOVE how it turns social constructs on its head. (And even has a page about what social constructs mean)

It was such fun to read about vegetables challenging that as their name. For they really are leaves, stalks, roots, fruits. Oh seriously it was fun.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chester goes to the garden to gather vegetables for a salad, but every thing he thinks is a vegetable claims it is not. It’s either a flower or a root or a leaf. And they all have names like Beatrice, Jaunita and Pietro. Every time Chester comes up with another argument, they have a response. It’s hard to argue with your dinner.

Funny.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book from our library because I thought it looked funny and that my daughter would like it because she’s picky lol. This was another funny book where the veggies don’t want to be eaten for supper so make every excuse to tell our main character that they are vegetables confusing him enough he went home empty handed haha.
We would recommend this read to everyone.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Chester. His mom sent him to the garden to get vegetables for salad. When he gets there, the various plants deny they are vegetables. They present arguments for other names/identifications. They tell him vegetables don't exist. I love the humor in both the dialogue and the artwork. Elementary level readers will engage with this story especially the ending.

[Kelly]

This book was funny but weird/frustrating. Granted, maybe that's how you were supposed to feel? What really is a vegetable, who knows? The note at the end is about social constructs instead of fruit vs. veggies, but we kinda get our knowledge of "vegetables" in the book. They do talk about how seeds are in fruits.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy argues with his vegetables. Are they really vegetables? Is it just social constructs we made to group different things together?

This book is sort of funny and the vegetables are sort of mean and don't want to be eaten. Some high concepts in a kids book.

I didn't care for the artwork. Still, it was fin. It was digitally made.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chester’s mom sends him to the garden to find some vegetables for a salad. However as he searches he is informed that vegetables are not real. The plants are leafs, roots, flowers, and fruits. No vegetables for poor Chester.
This book is the authors way of showing that a lot of categories are social constructs.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious and informative book that breaks down a complex, abstract concept (social constructs) into a fun story filled with quirky personalities. I especially loved the names for all of the fruits, roots, leaves, et. al. What a delightful read!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly story about a boy who needs to pick veggies for a salad, but the veggies defy social constructs and are all identifying as "leaves", "fruit" and other things rather than as "vegetables". Learn about veggies while questioning everything you've ever known!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little heavy-handed, but a charming confrontation of social constructs in the form of a pretty funny picture book. The anthropomorphic vegetables are just charming enough and this book will have readers challenging the way things are.