One Good Apple : Growing Our Food for the Sake of the Earth

Every day some of the most toxic poisons - poisons that eventually effect all life on earth - are sprayed on the foods we eat: apples, peaches, corn, grapes, and strawberries, to name a few. In eloquent words and pictures, One Good Apple makes a cogent, urgent case for healthier agricultural practices, exploring with precision and care the destructiveness of pesticides and fertilizers to everything from the smallest organisms to the water we drink. The author shows how, in our attempt to control nature, we are growing food that harms not only us but also the very balance of nature, a balance we need to better understand and protect. Here is a book to empower our next generation of gardeners and farmers by presenting a way of growing good food that nourishes not only us, but the earth as well.

Grade 4-8-This attractive and informative photo-essay offers a clear introduction to the advantages and methods of organic farming. Reminding her readers of Rachel Carson's expectation that people should be "secure against lethal poisons," Paladino describes the range and effects of pesticide use in this country; the government response; and the alternatives available through organic farming, Community Supported Agriculture, and seed-saving organizations. Her information is well organized and her message is straightforward and accessible. Full-color photographs show the range of produce grown in the United States, including numerous varieties of apples and tomatoes; methods of pesticide application; animals and insects that inhabit gardens and farms; and, most importantly, children engaged in farming activities. The evocative images include a photo of a small boy holding a kestrel chick, a girl tasting wood sorrel, and a Hopi grandmother with her hands full of colored corncobs. The author offers suggestions for "What you can do to help grow good food for the sake of the earth" and provides addresses for further information. The extensive bibliography demonstrates the breadth of her research. This is nonfiction writing at its best.
Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4^-6. Inspired by the eloquence and passion of Rachel Carson, Paladino, too, delivers a ringing indictment of the use of agricultural pesticides, noting that their use has doubled since the publication of Silent Spring and painting a series of alarming pictures of migrant farm workers covered in poisons, children absorbing more pesticide pound for pound than adults, chemical "cocktails" with unknown properties, overwhelmed government agencies, and poor regulation here and abroad. Sunny, but telling color photos of deceptively perfect looking fruit, of children posed with food, and other well-chosen images reinforce her message. She offers an alternative by visiting several organic farms, briefly examining such organic methods as companion planting and composting, then closing with suggested activities to promote organic farming and gardening. Being more a consciousnessraiser than a methodical survey, this is neither even handed nor specific enough to be a manual for organic gardeners, but its readers will never again look at their fruit, vegetables, or drinking water the same way. Extensive bibliography. John Peters

Grade 4-8-An alarming account of the environmental and health concerns associated with pesticides, tempered by hope for the future through organic farming. Outstanding full-color photos illustrate this compelling expos?.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.