Summary
From the cranberry bog to the Thanksgiving table, join Sam and his family as they harvest a classic American fruit.
When the vines hang heavy with berries that the autumn winds have turned deep red, it's time for cranberries, and Sam is finally old enough to help with the harvest! This charming, lyrical picture book follows Sam and his family as they raise the water in the bog, pick the cranberries, and gather the fruit for processing. It's a story of modern family farming in action, showing readers where their food comes from but mostly delighting them along the way.
Author Notes
Lisl H. Detlefsen lives on a family-owned cranberry marsh in central Wisconsin with her husband and two young sons. Time for Cranberries is her debut picture book.
Jed Henry has illustrated many books for children, including his own Cheer Up, Mouse and I Speak Dinosaur . He lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and daughter.
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-For the first time, a young boy participates with his family in the cranberry harvest. He describes the equipment and processes used to pick, transfer from marsh to truck, sort, clean, and ultimately deliver the berries. The harvest time lasts through the fall. When Thanksgiving arrives, he enjoys cranberry pie as part of the celebration (recipe included). This warm tale is an informative glimpse into a farming lifestyle that will be foreign to many children. Based on the author's own experience, the story conveys a feeling of authenticity, although the child view may be somewhat idealized. The illustrations, which appear to be digitally rendered with the look of watercolors and light black detailing, convey the mood with foliage, animals, and clothing consistent with the season. A multigenerational element is emphasized in the picture portraying an older couple sitting on the porch and a younger sister playing in the yard. VERDICT A charming depiction of a small family business that helps children understand the origins of their food.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When autumn arrives, a boy named Sam helps his parents harvest the cranberries in their marsh. Debut author Detlefsen (who lives on a Wisconsin cranberry marsh herself) vividly details each step, introducing terminology like "booming" ("We keep flooding the picked bed until the vines are completely covered") and "corralling," which involves putting on waders and gathering the berries "into one big bunch called the pot." (When Sam slips, his father assures him, "I always say you're not a cranberry grower until you fall in.") Henry (I Love You Near and Far) devotes equal attention to the unique mechanisms of this harvesting process, the alluring rural setting, and the close bond shared by this family of farmers. A glossary, author's note, and recipes are included. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Jennifer Mattson, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator's agency: Shannon Associates. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Detlefsens story follows a boy named Sam, who is finally old enough to participate in his first fall cranberry harvest on his parents farm. With waders donned, the family gets to work. From the flooding of the cranberry marshes to the booming, corralling, suctioning, cleaning, and delivering, details of the harvest throughout are educational and informative. The illustrations reds, yellows, and oranges create a vibrant and cozy fall setting as the family works together in a labor of love (and commerce), and the payoff comes at the end, with cranberry pie for Thanksgiving. Recipes, an authors note, and a glossary are appended. willa zhang (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Sam shares the autumn activities on his family's farmharvest time on a cranberry bog. He's excited because he's finally old enough to help. Sam outlines every detail, from the big waders he and his parents wear to the equipment they use, such as the picking machine, the boom, suction pump, and cleaner. He uses lively descriptions and sound words to convey his enthusiasm: their waders "shlip and shlerp," berries "hop and pop," and when Sam falls in, they start a water-and-cranberry fight: "splish and splash." Sam is wet through. Dad cheerfully says, "I always say you're not a cranberry grower until you fall in." This is a family pulling together literally and figuratively, and they enjoy both their work and the fruits of their labor. Even after their crop has been delivered, Sam wakes up on Thanksgiving morning to the delicious aroma of a fresh-baked cranberry pie (recipe included). The fun, the work, and the satisfaction are captured in watercolor-and-pencil illustrations infused with warm golds, browns, and reds to reflect the season and balance the cool blues of water and sky. The author, who lives on a marsh, calls this a love letter to the cranberry-growing community, but it is also an enlightening, joyful celebration of a little-explored agricultural endeavor. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When you grow up by a cranberry marsh or bog, harvest time is a big deal especially for Sam, who is finally old enough to help. After Dad operates the picking machine in a flooded cranberry bed, Sam and his parents pull a boom across the water, corralling the floating berries. A suction pump sends the cranberries through the cleaner and into the delivery truck, and then Dad and Sam deliver the fresh fruit to a receiving station. It's refreshing to find a story that's set on a family farm, particularly since few kids in agricultural areas see their surroundings realistically reflected in picture books, and most city and suburban kids have little contact with farming. Detlefsen, whose family grows cranberries in Wisconsin, writes from Sam's point of view, and while the story details the harvest process, Sam's enjoyment and pride are at the narrative forefront. In the color-rich artwork, the depictions of landscapes and of vehicles are particularly strong. A fine choice for young children who wonder how their food gets from farm to table.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2015 Booklist
