This month’s Book
tomatoes on trial: The fruit v. vegetable showdown
Written by: lindsay h. metcalf
Illustrated by: edwin fotheringham
In the late 1800s, American produce king John Nix just wanted to sell tomatoes. But when import taxes on popular vegetables impacted his profits, he knew he had to remedy the situation. Nix set out to prove that tomatoes, which have seeds and grow on vines, were clearly fruits. That was the claim Nix argued all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. With Nix on Team Fruit, and the U.S. government on Team Vegetable, both sides slung definition after definition in an epic, legal food fight. This little-known agriculturally-based story from American history will fascinate young readers and encourage them to take a stand and defend their opinions.
North Carolina Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom is an educational program that is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the importance of agriculture in North Carolina. The program strives to achieve this mission in recommending books for use as additional resources to PreK – 12th grade educators. Each month we offer a book for anyone looking for a valid ag-related resource to utilize in the classroom. Each book will have accompanying activities of high-quality that can be integrated into lesson plans at various grade levels. The total purchase of one book is $5.00 and can be purchased until copies are sold out.
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NCAITC’s Activity Sheet Archive
