Vernon the Vegetable Man by Yvelette Stines

Nationally, studies indicate that Americans now have some of the worse eating habits.  More importantly the habits have been passed down to our youth.  As a child, I remember us all having recess after lunch.  All of the children played outside in the neighborhood until the street lights turned on.

Those were the days.  Author Yvelette Stines, in her latest children’s literature book, Vernon the Vegetable Man, takes us back to a time when fresh produce businesses were indeed affluent within local communities.  Marvin the main character in this story, with the help of Vernon, the owner of a fruits and vegetable truck, helps the young man realize and discover several very important life lessons.      

What I enjoyed about the book the most is that due to the help from a prominent community businessmen, Marvin learns the true benefits of eating and selecting healthy food choices.  I recommend this book for any elementary teacher wanting to emphasize the importance of a healthy diet.  Parents with youngsters desiring to enlighten their offspring about the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables for the sake of nutritional values this book is definitely the one to have.