Edible Numbers

In an eye-catching companion to Edible Colors (2014), Bass photographs fruits and vegetables in order to use the images as counters. Bass introduces a single fruit or vegetable specimen on each left-hand page (“1 pear”; “1 pepper”; “1 mushroom”), while the facing pages count up to 12 (“6 pears”; “7 peppers”; “8 mushrooms”). Placing the vegetables and fruits against blank white backgrounds allows their vibrant colors, shapes, and textures to pop, while highlighting the diversity of the breeds and cultivars of tomatoes, eggplants, squashes, and others. The inclusion of less-familiar produce—including a Buddha’s hand citron, dragon’s egg cucumber, and green sausage tomato—may inspire readers to take their counting skills to the farmer’s market. Ages 2–5. (May)