Berry Book

by Gail Gibbons

Describes the many types of berries, edible and poisonous; explains how several varieties are cultivated, harvested, and used; and includes recipes for blueberry pie, blackberry jam, and raspberry ice cream.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Summer, Nonfiction, Storytime, Food

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Hannah Gies · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book and all the pictures! There were several kinds of berries I had never heard of. There are how-tos in the back as well, which are fun.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't understand why the wet harvesting of cranberries was not addressed. To me, that's one of the most interesting aspects of growing berries on an industrial scale.

I would have also appreciated more information on boysenberries - only mentioned once; or loganberries - not mentioned at all. This was a missed opportunity to talk about hybrids.

Some of the informational tidbits were kind of a stretch. If the book is about berries, talking about wintergreen leaves (twice) is off topic.

Lastly, I disliked the ungrammatical "if someone wants to be kissed, they stand..."

[Haley Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many berries! Love this book. Was very informative on all of the different kinds of berries and also included different berry recipes in the back.

[Melissa Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informational- This book talks about the different berries. They have all different colors, shapes, and flavors.It also talks about how berries grow.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book to read before going berry picking.

[MotherofReaders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good nonfiction read for berry picking season.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like how the author goes over all the different berries and explains basic concepts concerning berries and growing plants. I usually enjoy this author's artwork, but for this book the illustrations weren't my favorite. When it comes to plants, I like the drawings to be more detailed and life-like and here they are more "cartoonish", which I don't feel is helpful when you're learning about science and how to identify plants.

[CFAITC]

This nonfiction book introduces students to different types of berries, and explains how varieties are cultivated and harvested. Includes recipes for blackberry jam, blueberry pie, and raspberry ice cream.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Berry Book has lots of information about types of berries, where they grow, how they grow, what they are used for, and how people incorporate them into recipes and other foods.


Used for "Going Bananas-Fruit" storytime-April, 2010.

[Sarah Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so informative, but also really fun. I enjoyed the whimsical style of illustrations, although I can see how some might want a more realistic picture when teaching about berries. Overall, it was great- packed with information and easy to read.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nonfiction book about all the different types of berries available. I found it a little busy at times but could be simplifies for younger kids by omitting some of the information in the pictures and just reading the text at the bottom. preschool and up for length.

[Dedria]

Used for Story time ages 2 to 8