An Orange in January

by Dianna Hutts Aston, Julie Maren (Illustrator)

Plump, juicy oranges are one of the great pleasures of winter and one that is usually taken for granted. Now here's an eloquent, celebratory picture of how those oranges have found their way to the grocery store shelves, and then into kids' tummies! With vivid, glowing paintings, this unique picture book offers a poetic lesson about a plant's growth cycle and about the produce industry. We follow an orange from blossom to ripe fruit, from tree to truck to market . . . and into the hands of a boy who shares this treat with his friends on the playground, "so that everyone could taste the sweetness of an orange in January." In the tradition of Apple Farmer Annie and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, this is a satisfying, celebratory look at an everyday object with a remarkable life story.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Childrens, Cultural, Storytime, Science, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2007

About the author

Dianna Hutts Aston was born in Houston, Texas, attended the University of Houston, and worked as a journalist for several years. LOONY LITTLE is her first picture book with Candlewick Press. She says, "It was one of the hottest summer days on record. My mind, of its own accord, kept wandering northward, to a wilderness of snow and ice, the Arctic. While listening to the news one evening, I heard Peter Jennings say, ‘The polar icecap is melting - or is it?’ In my mind, I heard, ‘The sky is falling!’ The whole concept for LOONY LITTLE literally fell from the sky and into my mind." Dianna Hutts Aston lives in central Texas with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting farm-to-very-long-way-to-table book about how an orange can be a special treat even in the dead of winter. (Once upon a time this was so rare that receiving one in a Christmas stocking was often the best holiday present of all.) This might be a good one for introducing kids to the hidden costs of the food we eat. (No wonder crudités cost so much, Dr. Oz.) The colorful illustrations by Julie Maren add some punch.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this might not be the best book for people who believe in eating locally, and because of the orange’s long trip, I came close to laughing.

But, I do like the poetic story (“fed by the earth’s soil and the ocean’s breath”) of an orange blossom to “table” and some of the illustrations are lovely. I like the sharing of the orange, I like the choosing of the orange, I like that the story and illustrations are likely to make oranges appetizing to children.

I’m actually not a big eating locally type person, chocolate!, need I say more?!, although I do prefer farmers’ markets and health food stores that buy locally to grocery stores.

But, this is a worthy book for showing children how food goes from its growth to their mouths, and does make fruit, oranges in particular, look good to eat.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

With rudimentary illustrations and a simple narrative, this book explains how an orange is grown and brought to market, all the way to the young child who chooses it for a snack. It's a good book to read with children to help them understand a little about the process by which the food we buy comes to us.

[Jo ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wouldn't think a book about an orange could be so sweet, but this definitely was! The story follows an orange from it's beginning as a spring blossom, to a plump round fruit, and from tree to truck to grocery store. From there a little boy picks the best orange of all and it ends it's journey on the playground as he shares it with his friends in winter.

It's simply written but in a way that's also quite lyrical and beautiful. It reads very much like a poem. The illustrations are especially lovely. It's like looking at a little piece of painted artwork on each page. Bold and bright colours. Very pretty!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Julie Maren join forces in this lovely picture book about the journey of an orange, from blossom on a tree, in a "land that glowed with spring light," to luscious fruit being harvested and transported far from its origin place. Selected at a grocery store by a young boy one January, the orange is shared by a group of friends, who enjoy its sweet taste while playing in the snow...

I greatly enjoyed An Orange in January, both for the thoughtful, engaging narrative and for the lush, gorgeous artwork. I have read a number of Aston's other picture books—notably, her An Egg Is Quiet and its many wonderful companions—but this is the first time I have encountered Maren's artwork. Sadly, it would appear that this is one of only two books she has illustrated. In any case, I think this would be an excellent title to use with younger children, in order to explore the theme of food, from source to table, particularly in an the context of food which must travel long distances to reach its destination. For my own part, I hope to track down more titles from Aston, as well as the other picture book from Maren.

[Ms. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a favorite book of mine to read in class - it shows how even though we live in a cold weather state we can still have produce and how it gets to us. The pictures are fantastic and the kids are always very engaged when reading it. It's great for working on summarizing and also first, next, then, sequencing.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buy local and in season! That's basically my motto. So this book is a tough one for me. While I do like the book, and find it amazing to think of the distance a orange has to travel to make it to, say, North Dakota, I can't recommend a book that encourages that kind of carbon footprint. See my dilemma? Then again, maybe if I still lived in North Dakota instead of sunny Southern California, I would feel differently.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great picture book to share in January. The illustrations are colorful and warm. It is a simple story and has a satisfying ending that will prompt a nice discussion. I used it last year and gave the class some oranges to share at recess after reading it. It is a wonderful story that I recommend to Grades K-2.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to buy this book. I love it so very much. The only thing that could make it better is if the oranges came from Florida where grandma and grandpa live instead of California. But everything else is perfect. It's everything you expect from the cover and title, plus added touches like mom's fuzzy pink slippers and sharing on the playground.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this book goes through the life span of an orange from growth to consumption. While it's a short book technical an easy read some of the words are a little advance for my 6 year old to know, Like glistening.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

The journey of an orange from blossom growing on a sun-washed tree to a juicy fruit picked by a child at a supermarket in January is told in simple language and luminous illustrations.

Themes: Fruit & Veggies/Food; Seasons; Life Cycle; Grocery; Sharing

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, my four year old is telling me that she liked how they shared the orange in the end, but from tree to store did not win her over. I liked the farm to table knowledge a kid can gain from this picture book while the writing was simple, yet poetic. I would give it a 3✨

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this book during our reading time in my Kindergarten practicum class, the kids were not super entertained by it. I felt the book did not have a large message behind it, there was a small part about sharing. Overall, I don't think this is something I would have in my classroom.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple description from orange blossom to orange, from orchard to grocery store to being shared with friends.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An orange from tree to table story, told with beautiful illustrations.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about how an orange grows and then enters the distribution chain to arrive at the consumer.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat telling of an orange start to finish. My favorite is how the little boy who receives the orange treats it with wonder. A great book to read when we pick the oranges of our tree in winter.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good resource for sparking a discussion of where goods come from and how they get to us.

[Maeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers follow an orange as it grows, is transported across the country, and is purchased by a young child in a grocery store.

Storytime:
Food > Fruits
Farmers

[David H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follows the path of an orange from creation to eating, and the art works well with the story of the orange.

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to discuss the life cycle of an orange. We definitely ate a lot of oranges this week because of this book!

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An orange in January
By Dianna Hutts Aston
Great conversation starter for kindergarten concepts of health foods, food sources, and transport.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An orange grows in the sunshine and then makes its way toward a cold winter home to brighten it up. cute. preschool and up

[Miri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was excited about the premise, especially how it would fit into my "journeys" story time, but didn't like it as much as I was hoping to. The text is flowery and abstract.

[D'Anne Mosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book
Seasons
Life cycle of fruit
Also how things go from tree to store

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I 🧡 oranges

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traces the journey of an orange, starting from the tree to a child's lunch.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't totally wow me, but it's important for kids to know where food comes from, and I love the ending on the snowy playground. LFL find.

[Jan Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are better than the story of how an orange 🍊 is grown and transported across the country.

[Grace Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet book was used in a classroom that I observed to teach kindergartners about farms and where food comes from. The book begins by explaining how an orange is grown, then talking about how food travels from the farm to the grocery store where then someone chooses it to take it home to eat. The book ends with the child sharing the orange with all of their friends to taste the sweet fruit even if it was january.