This is a retelling of one of my most-used storytime folktales - The giant turnip. I do a flannelboard of it as The Giant Carrot and I believe there are versions of it as an onion as well. This new version has an intergenerational and urban twist.
The story begins Victoria, a young girl with an orange raincoat, red glasses, light brown skin, and short dark hair, is hanging out with her neighbor, a white-haired woman named Mrs. Kosta. They see a sign for a community potluck and block party and decide to bring raw beet and garlic salad (which, to me personally, sounds ewww, but with a potluck you have lots of different things to eat, so whatever). They plant seeds and care for their sprouts, until they have one TREMENDOUS beet! With the repeated refrain, "But that big red beet wouldn't budge." Mrs. Kosta calls from help from Mr. Wen in his taxi, Officers Deena and Tina, Mr. Vitelli in his street sweeper, and other neighborhood workers. Victoria, however, her offers of help refused, wanders off to work on making the other salad ingredients while the grownups try and fail to pull the beet. Finally, with a bit of clever thinking from Victoria, the beet comes free, Mrs. Kosta grabs her grater, and it's time for the potluck supper!
An author's note talks about the importance of community and sharing food and a simple illustrated recipe shows readers how to make their own raw beet and garlic salad. Should you, um, wish to (I do not like beets cooked or raw, so....) Cheerful illustrations show a multicultural and diverse city, even including a few folks with different body types.
Verdict: The real draw for this story is the repeated refrain and this is a delightful new version that is sure to get preschoolers tugging and chanting the text. It's an especially nice addition if your town has any kind of community gardens or food sharing to tie into the story.
ISBN: 9781534112711; Published March 2023 by Sleeping Bear Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library
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