Overview
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? The US Supreme Court takes on the case in this juicy history picture book for kids ages 7 to 10. In the late 1800s, American produce king John Nix just wanted to sell tomatoes. But when import taxes on popular vegetables impacted his profits, he knew he had to remedy the situation. Nix set out to prove that tomatoes, which have seeds and grow on vines, were clearly fruits. That was the claim Nix argued all the way to the US Supreme Court. With Nix on Team Fruit, and the US government on Team Vegetable, both sides slung definition after definition in an epic, legal food fight. This little-known agriculturally-based story from American history will fascinate young readers and encourage them to take a stand and defend their opinions.
Full Product Details
Author: Lindsay H. Metcalf ,
Edwin Fotheringham
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Imprint: Minedition (imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc)
Weight: 0.567kg
ISBN: 9781662680533
ISBN 10: 1662680538
Pages: 32
Publication Date: 12 August 2025
Recommended Age: From 7 to 10 years
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
""With more puns than a tomato has seeds, this title will have young debaters ready to take on the challenge of 'Fruit or Vegetable?' Full of evidence and rebuttals, the book exposes readers to the arguments on both sides of the issue and by the end, they might find their opinions have changed. No matter the outcome, readers will have learned a great deal about legal reasoning and how to make a convincing argument. Fotheringham’s blotted line and color wash illustrations brim with humor and history, adding to the appeal of this engaging title. By the end, readers will be ripe and ready to make the case for the tomato’s classification one way or another, will have learned some interesting facts, and gained a basic understanding of how to build a logical, fact-based argument. This is a novel piece of nonfiction that is fully entertaining for older elementary students.""—School Library Journal
Author Information
Lindsay H. Metcalf is a journalist-turned-award-winning author of nonfiction and poetry for children and young adults. She lives in Kansas with her husband and children near the corn, wheat, soybean, and milo farm she grew up on. She is the author of several farm-related titles, including Farmers Unite! and Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm. Edwin Fotheringham is the award-winning illustrator of many picture book biographies, including Full of Beans, a NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book and winner of the AFBFA 2020 Book of the Year, Tee Time on the Moon, and Dazzlin’ Dolly. His work has received the Sibert Honor, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor, an Orbis Honor Book, and much more.
