Cherries and Cherry Pits

This book has such charm and positivity, it's no wonder that my kids ask for it again and again. In this engaging story a girl draws on paper and her imagination to link together different characters through their common love of eating cherries. The book gently reminds us to be wary of cherry pits and also encourages us to think beyond ourselves. We're invited to imagine the home lives of other people and reminds us how good sharing can feel.

As an adult, I've slowly been re-collecting my favorite books from childhood, and this book was at the top of my list of "must-haves". Vera B. Williams' illustrations, a combination of watercolor (for narrated parts of Bidemmi's life) and marker (for the stories Bidemmi draws and tells us), are incredibly vibrant and beautiful - kids can read this book and be inspired not only to draw like Bidemmi does, but also to tell stories in her style, which is very much the way a child might narrate their own picture story. The text is also wonderful, full of stories about cherries and all the people who love to buy and eat them. I suggest you or your kids have some cherries on hand before you read this book, because you'll be craving fruit by the end!

Let me say, before we start out, that this is a wordy book. It's definitely more suited for the older end of the 4-8 crowd. This is a story of a young artist. She draws three pictures of three people, and tells the stories of how they eat cherries on three occasions. Then she finally tells her own story, and her own plan, about how she intends to save the pits from her own cherries and plant them, until there is a "forest of cherry trees" she can share with the whole world. Simple, strong story. The young nieces sit for it, and I love it too.

I have loved Cherries and Cherry Pits for as long as I can remember. I love how this story tells the story of three different chaacters lives and the lives of their friends and family. I remember it being read me when I was in kindergarten. I love everything about the book down to the hand drawn pictures that depict how many children draw at that age. I still have my original copy of the book and will keep it forever.

As a teenager not many of my friends like children's books, but I have and always will have a profound affection for them. "Cherries and Cherry Pits" continues to be a favorite of mine- your minds eye can relish on the fresh, colorful drawings whilst you read of the simple pleasures derived from a yummy little fruit. This book always leaves me with a little dance in my step, an artistic itch in my fingers and a mouth watering for cherries