City Beet

by Tziporah Cohen, Udayana Lugo (Illustrator)

When a notice for a community potluck is posted, Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta decide to bring a beet salad as their contribution. But first they need to grow this special vegetable for their dish. They plant the seeds in their garden plot, and throughout the summer they water, fertilize, weed, and mulch. And they watch their beet grow and grow and grow. On potluck day, it's time to harvest so they can make their salad. Victoria grabs the garlic and the grater and Mrs. Kosta steps up to remove the beautiful red veg from its underground home. But their care and attention has grown the biggest beet ever, and it stubbornly refuses to come loose. This beet won't budge! Will Victoria and Mrs. Kosta be able to make their special salad? Not to worry--help comes in all shapes and sizes. This clever, humorous take on an old folktale is a celebration of community and the ways we all come together. Back matter includes a beet salad recipe.

Genres: Picture Books, Gardening, Food, Childrens, Kids, Cultural, Folklore

40 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2023

Reviews

[Ashley S · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4.5yo enjoyed this one that he asked to read it again later in the week. He said he liked how the girl helped in the end. He said he liked counting each person as they came.

The repeated words and phrases would make this entertaining as a read aloud and for readers learning to read.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute updated version of a Russian folktale, but the beginning felt so abrupt that I thought I was missing a page 😆 Also, no neighborhood I know of would advertise a potluck almost 4 months in advance. These little details took me out of the story.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charmingly updated version of the Russian folk tale The Turnip, with a beet instead of a turnip (who likes turnips, anyway?) and taking place in an urban setting. Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta see a sign up on the neighborhood grocery store window for a potluck block party in July. By the way they are dressed, with slickers and rain boots, it looks like it’s spring. The friends get to work, planting, watering, fertilizing, weeding and mulching. On potluck day in July, they go to harvest an enormous beet. Mrs. Kosta can’t budge it, nor can she with the help of the taxi driver Mr. Wen. Various other neighbors try to help – Officers Deena and Tina, Mr. Vitelli the street sweeper driver, Mr. Azizi the recycling truck driver, and Ms. Browne the number 41 bus driver. Each time someone new comes to help, Victoria, a little girl with brown skin and glasses, offers to help as well, but all the adults tell her she isn’t big enough. Like the original tale, the littlest one makes the difference, because when Victoria ties a string around her bike and connects it to the last person trying to pull out the beet, out it comes with a big “SPROING!!”

This version of the tale is full of people of different races and ethnicities, which is a welcome improvement. While Victoria is waiting for the beet to be pulled, she consults a cookbook and prepares all the ingredients for the dressing. Observant readers will notice that the cookbook, ‘Baba’s Kitchen,’ has a picture of its author, which is Mrs. Kosta! It’s fun to read the repeated phrase, “But that big red beet wouldn’t budge. Not even ONE LITTLE BIT.” The last spread has a big two-page spread showing the neighborhood potluck, including a grated beet salad made by our protagonists. I love picture books with a recipe that families can make, and this one has a pictorial recipe for raw beet and garlic salad that I will most certainly be trying. This a wonderful tale focusing on community and food.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book's clever title and the cover illustrations may have readers curious about its contents and draw them into the story. A riff on a classic Russian folktale, this one is set in the city as Victoria and her neighbor, Mrs. Kosta, decide that they'd love to prepare a raw beet and garlic salad for the summer community potluck. They gather the necessary materials, plant those seeds, and tend the plants as they start to grow. But apparently, their nurturing prompted quite a lot of growth since by the time they need to pull up beets for the salad, one beet has become massive. It's impossible for Mrs. Kosta to budge it at all. One by one, various neighbors and community members, six in all, join Mrs. Kosta in trying to pull the beet up. Every time Victoria offers to help, they dismiss her, saying that she's too small to be much help. Eventually, she gets fed up with all the waiting and finds a way to contribute. The use of the phrase "Not even ONE LITTLE BIT" (unpaged) throughout the story adds to its appeal and makes it sound just like a traditional story should. Plentiful white space on some of the pages allows the characters in the colorful illustrations to shine and to show off all their mighty efforts to move that big red city beet. This one will prompt giggles from youngsters who will love seeing Victoria being able to help, after all. The Author's Note is worth a read, and for anyone curious about the ingredients for the salad the two friends prepare, there's a recipe.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta spot a potluck sign, they decide to grow beets to make a salad. After planting it and tending to the beet while it grows, it's finally time to pull it out. There's just one problem: it's so big that it won't budge one bit no matter how hard Mrs. Kosta pulls. As people join in to help get it out, they still can't get the beet to move. Victoria keeps offering to help, but the adults tell her she's too young, so she starts preparing the salad. Finally, she decides it's time to take matters into her own hands and it's only then that the beet tears from the ground.

CITY BEET highlights small town life and coming together as a community. The illustrations are vibrant and I love the formatting of the words. At the end, I love how we see the diverse characters sitting down together for their potluck and it's a true community. There's even a recipe for raw beet and garlic salad in the back of the book that's easy enough for children to help throw together.


Final Verdict: Overall, this is a cute story for children who enjoy cooking and gardening. It's also refreshing to see the entire community come together and offer their assistance when it's needed. It also teaches that no matter how little you are, you can still help in some way.

[Paul Sutter]

CITY BEET is definitely an amusing book that can’t be beat for great illustrations and whimsical story. Victoria a small child, and her friend Mrs. Kosta, plant a beet seed in anticipation of a community potluck party a few months away. They water and nurture it very carefully.
It began to grow and grow, until it was time to harvest it for the potluck party. But they find it is so big they cannot budge it from the ground. Soon, townspeople come and try their hand at getting the beet from the ground. It still will not come out. It is not long before there is a massive line of people working on that beet. Finally with the help of a bicycle, it pops from the ground, and it can be prepared for the big potluck dinner. This shows children that people working together can create great things. There is also a recipe in the book for raw beet and garlic salad. The beet truly goes on in this charming little story.

[Nazneen Akbari · Rating 4 out of 5]

City Beet is a truly delightful picture book that joyfully celebrates the essence of community gardening. With its heartwarming narrative, it is destined to become a cherished read-aloud in countless households. What sets this book apart is its perfect blend of gardening enthusiasm and gentle humor, while at its core, it beautifully encapsulates the power of shared experiences. Personally, I find great joy in picture books that include recipes for families to try, and City Beet certainly delivers. It features an enticing pictorial recipe for a raw beet and garlic salad that I cannot wait to experiment with. Overall, this enchanting tale not only highlights the significance of community but also showcases the magic of food, making it a truly wonderful addition to any library.

[Erin Buhr]

Set in a city, a little girl and her neighbor decide to grow a beet to make a beet salad for the neighborhood potluck. When the day arrives, that beet won't come out of the ground. This book is a fun one to read for storytime. Onomatopoeia is layered with a building chorus and final repeated line that kids can chime in with every other page. Best of all, little Victoria saves the day at the end and they all enjoy a delicious potluck. In the backmatter, there is even a recipe so you can make beet salad together after you read.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking of making a beet salad for a Potluck block party in July Victoria and Mrs. Kosta start from seed. They care for the beet all summer and watch it grow. When the time comes to harvest the beet, it is so big they can’t pull it from the ground. Soon a whole neighborhood of community helpers begin to tug. It’s only when Victoria hooks up her tricycle that the beet springs from the ground. Fun illustrations and repetitive text will have young readers cheering. Plus, there is a bonus recipe at the back.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief summary: Mrs. Kosta and Victoria plant and nurture a beet seed until it ripens. The woman begins to harvest the gigantic beet but cannot remove it from the ground, no matter how hard she tugs. Several neighbors stop by the garden to help pull, creating a line out to the sidewalk until the vegetable is uprooted with a big "SPROING!!"

There is an Author's Note and Raw Beet & Garlic Salad Recipe in the back.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

[Kiyoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why are gardening stories so over the top? The story got off to a very good start but then there was no satisfactory ending, just a picture of everyone eating. No mention of the significance of July 4th. The last page was an afterthought and we almost missed it. But cute illustrations.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful choice for community - new telling of the giant carrot tale.

[LS Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cumulative story with lots of repetition. It's also about a diverse community coming together to share a meal. And it included a beet recipe!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4
Illustrations 5

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanna make the salad and I will.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like beets, but raw? With raw garlic? Oof. Cute retelling of a classic tale.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 4 out of 5]

A welcome rendition of the classic tale, The Turnip.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute folk tale retelling with great artwork.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Victoria and Mrs. Kosta are unable to harvest the gigantic beet that they grew, one by one the whole neighborhood gets involved. This is a fun, contemporary retelling of a Russian folktale.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute way of engaging in learning about cooperation and community.

Canadian author and illustrator!

[MOSS Kids Book Project · Rating 5 out of 5]

We absolutely LOVE this book. Victoria & her neighbor Mrs. Kosta decide that they will bring a beet salad to their community potluck. So they plant some seeds to grow their special beet. Well, this beet certainly is special -- it's GIGANTIC. And stubborn. When they go to pull the beet to make the salad, it just won't budge. Will Victoria and Mrs. Kosta be able to make their special salad? Not to worry--help comes in all shapes and sizes. But the biggest help of all, comes from the smallest person. A beautiful celebration of community & coming together. Back matter includes an author's note & a beet salad recipe.

We chose City Beet as our nationwide MOSS Kids Book Club pick in April and it was a hit. It truly is one of the best read aloud stories, perfect for all ages. When we read this aloud with our local library partners for story time, we wanted to make sure we kept the kids engaged and entertained. This book does just that. Every time the characters started to pull together, we asked the kids to pretend they were wrapping an arm around the beet leaves and tug together 3x "Tug 1, tug, 2, tug 3 -- But that big red beet wouldn't budge. Not even one little bit." We did this every time. They were completely enthralled with the story and wondering which tugs were going to be the ones that *finally* pulled the beet out. Even the adults were tugging.

We made a simple craft working on kids fine motor skills & visual perceptual skills (I'm a pediatric occupational therapist). If you're interested in making the craft, printable activity sheets & a community outreach activity to go with City Beet, check out our blog post: https://www.mosskidsbooks.com/post/mo...

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite folk stories is of Russian origin entitled The Turnip and there are many titles of this story with various illustrators. Here we have a take off on The Turnip Story, featuring the ever more popular vegetable, the beet. This story is set in an urban area and features a young girl and older woman who decide to make a covered dish of raw beets and garlic for a neighborhood potluck. And yes, they are going to grow the beets. Of course one beet becomes gigantic! Lots of urban workers jump into help pull the beet, from the cab driver to the garbage truck driver to the police woman.
Loved this modern take off of an old old Russian folk story. I am ready to eat spiced beets.

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

City Beet is an utterly delightful picture book celebrating the "community" part of community gardening. Using a familiar cumulative tale structure (like in the nursery rhyme This is the House That Jack Built) and vibrant full-of-life illustrations, City Beet is sure to become a repeat read aloud in many homes. I love the celebration of gardening is paired with a bit of humor, but that the heart of the story really is about shared experiences. The author's note at the back of the book is beautiful, saying "Each person in a community has something to give, and even the smallest bit helps. When we work together, we can accomplish big things." It's a lovely sentiment and displayed beautifully in this story. There's even a recipe in the back of the book for the Raw Beet & Garlic Salad the characters in the story make for the neighborhood potluck!

For more notable 2023 nature-based books for children visit my blog:
https://thesilvanreverie.com/2023/04/...

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Publisher's Spotlight. Opinions are my own.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 1/2.5

Growing Vegetables, Cooking, Beets, City Gardens, teamwork

This is a variation on the popular folktale about the giant turnip.