Spring Is for Strawberries

A family farm and a city farmer’s market are the backdrops for a journey through the seasons—and the stages of a new friendship—in this thoughtful look at nature’s bounty. After a winter spent “waiting,/ wondering,” a white-presenting farm family plants the fruits and vegetables they’ll eventually take to market. First up are spring strawberries, “staining lips heart red” as a child from the farm shares a juicy bowl of the berries with a city child visiting the market with their Black- and white-presenting parents. Months pass as the two families bond over seasonal foods—peaches, melons, corn, apples, pumpkins—and visit each other’s neighborhoods before winter arrives and everyone, Pryor writes, is “waiting for that first red fruit/ when springtime blooms again.” The cheery-faced figures at the humming market stands, and the tempting rainbow of produce, make Gortman’s mixed-media paintings feel like friendly “buy local” posters. Back matter offers information about strawberry varietals. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)