An Orange In January

Behold, the power of citrus. 

THREE PROS

*Dianna Hutts Aston uses a writing style with a deeper tone than virtually all kidlit you will come across -- it almost sounds like you are being told a story by a wise shaman who has seen many moons   

*If your child is wondering just how fresh fruit winds up in your local grocery store (especially in the middle of winter), AOIJ does a pretty good job of explaining it
*Julie Maren's artwork is at its juiciest on the page where she multi-dimesionalizes the road our orange travels

THREE CONS 

*Despite what I said in the first pro above, the book comes off a little too dramatic for long-term reuse 
*The text and the illustration don't match on the final page, because the boy's hands seem to be the same color as they were previously 

*An unfair knock, no doubt, but if we are going to inspire the next generation shouldn't we be preaching the importance of locally sustainable food growth

ONE DAD'S OPINION
Looks like we have another title ripe for the plucking from the branches of your library system.  An Orange In January is a sweet treat that will satisfy your family's hunger for something (educationally) healthy.  I mean, you can never have too much vitamin C in your life right?!  That said, for all of the positive qualities it possesses (including a nod to sharing that I haven't even mentioned yet), it lacks any sort of fun or genuine excitement that would push me to give it a Buy.  In short, AOIJ will temporarily fight off the scurvy caused by some of the other titles in your collection, but won't provide a permanent cure. 

Buy / BORROW / Donate / Destroy