Cranberries

by William Jaspersohn

Depicts the history of cranberries, the stages of cultivation and harvest, and the processing and packaging of this native American fruit.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 29, 1991

Reviews

[Shanna Gonzalez]

We're all used to seeing cranberries turn up in the produce at Thanksgiving and Christmas, in juice on the shelf, and Craisins in the bakery department. Where do all these cranberries come from? Jaspersohn provides an elementary-level introduction to the history and cultivation of this native fruit. Photos of cranberries at various stages of growth are explained with easy-flowing descriptive text, from the first ripening to the different modes of harvest (Did you know crates of cranberries are removed by helicopter to protect the next year's already-ripening crop?)

This book is a good tie-in to storybooks that feature cranberries, such as Wendy Devlin's Cranberry series, a holiday reading basket, or a state geography study (the berry is cultivated in much of New England, and is the Massachusetts state berry). I probably wouldn't buy it, since most kids will learn what they need from it with one read, but it's a great library checkout.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

I love it when I can learn something from a children's book.
I knew that cranberries grow in bogs, but I didn't know how they were harvested. Very cool!

[Alana]

very interesting.