One Tomato

Count the vegetables as you harvest the garden beginning with one ripe tomato! Ants, moles, bees and other garden friends join in the fun. Watch for the sneaky yellow dandelion. Learn about growing healthy foods while counting to ten in One Tomato!

Copyright © 2021 $8.99

Rubber Ducky Press ISBN 978-1-947141-59-9

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Purple Carrot

Grow your garden and watch colors bloom! From planting to harvest, learn the colors of your favorite vegetables. Watch for the sneaky yellow dandelion hiding on every page and spot the friendly garden dwellers who stop by to say hello!

Copyright © 2023 $9.99

Rubber Ducky Press ISBN 978-1-9471-4161-2

PURPLE CARROT | ONE TOMATO

BY REBECCA MULLIN | REVIEWED BY CYNTHIA COMPTON

This charming duo of board books by Indiana children’s author Rebecca Mullin explores the wonder of gardening in a way that is accessible to all ages.

The first book of the pair, One Tomato, was released in 2021 and appeared on the 2022 Indiana Authors Awards children’s shortlist. The sun shines brightly in this lovely counting concept book for the youngest of readers, inviting them outside to explore the garden that grows their food and the plants and animals to be found there. Each two-page spread contains just enough details for naming and discussion with children, and the rounded edge design of this sturdy board book makes it an all-season companion for many rereads.

With a Midwestern nod to our ever-present dandelions, illustrator Anna Mullin “hides” a yellow flower in each scene, sure to create more delight as they are discovered. One Tomato serves as an excellent introduction to both counting and the growth cycle of the food we eat.

The Mullins’ second book, Purple Carrot, which was released this month, follows the growth cycle from planting to harvest on inviting two-page spreads, complete with helpful bees. Wander the garden in wonder with your young reader, as you name the colors together—tiny black seeds to be dropped deep in rich brown soil; bright green shoots sprouting into leaves; snowy white blossoms blooming in splendor. In the end, a rainbow of vegetables culminates this satisfying trip through the growing season.

Rebecca’s text in Purple Carrot is perfectly matched to the attention and interest of its preschool audience, with poetic short sentences designed to be echoed by children as they are read aloud. Anna’s charming illustrations echo the bright palette of One Tomato and offer a variety of small details for young hands to point out and name, including animals and insects to spy in the garden as well as that familiar hardy yellow dandelion who hides in each spread.

Rebecca’s respect for both children and the natural world is evident in each page of this sweet duo, and gardeners of every generation will carefully plant these books in their nightly reading stack again and again.

Reviews

  • Jama's Alphabet Soup

    "Doesn’t this look adorable? Love the appealing art, bright colors and shapes, and fun-to-read rhyming text. Counting and identifying veggies, looking at their respective plants, and following the dandelion from spread to spread will not only delight young readers, but make them curious about eating the vegetables they haven’t already tried. A perfect baby shower or birthday gift. Anyone else craving caprese salad? 🙂"

  • Goodreads: Kim Childress

    Favorite book of the day! Especially recommend this book because it gets kids outdoors with fun activities and helps instill a love of gardening at a very young age. One Tomato, written by Rebecca Mullin and illustrated by Anna Mullin, is a counting and activity book for the very young focused around gardening--my favorite hobby besides reading! Bright illustrations depict a dandelion accompanying a walk through the garden, and hidden among the illustrations are wild critters kids will love to find, providing an interactive experience kids will remember and return to again and again.

  • Where the Board Books Are

    An inviting introduction to what's in the garden, One Tomato subtly encourages children to be active in nature, to have an awareness of where food comes from, and to know when it's ready to eat!

  • Amazon Review: IndyMom1

    I’m a preschool teacher and I LOVED this board book. Perfect for 2-6 year olds, the bold, bright art really holds kiddos’ attention and the rhyming story explores counting in a fun way- while strolling through a garden full of vegetables and insect/animal friends. The seek-and-find dandelion on each page makes for a fun interactive game too. I’ve given One Tomato as a gift and used it in the classroom. Always a hit!

  • BusyBookBank

    One Tomato - A Garden Counting Book is a lovely little hardback book that takes you on a journey through a garden where there are many different vegetables to count, insects to see and a yellow dandelion can be found hiding on each page. It is written by Rebecca Mullin, illustrated by Anna Mullin and published by Rubber Ducky Press. The words and numbers are bright and clear and my son loved the book so much it had to be read 3 times in one sitting so it is definitely a hit in our house.

  • Mrs. Good Choice

    What’s more fun than a garden counting book? I am so happy to share a new way of introducing children to shapes and concepts of numbers. ONE TOMATO A Garden Counting Book, by author Rebecca Mullin and illustrated by Anna Mullin is filled with colorful illustrations of garden plants, vegetables, and bugs.

    Children will love searching for the silly dandelion that will guide them through each page. This board book is for ages 0-5. Children will choose to read it over and over again.

  • Yellow Springs Newspaper

    "The colorful counting board book, released this summer, by Rubber Ducky Press, was illustrated by villager and 2016 YSHS graduate Anna Mullin and is aimed at ages 2 to 4. Or as Anna says "Or people of any age who want to brush up on their counting skills" said Mullin in a recent interview. "No judgment." ysnews

  • The Little Free Library

    “One Tomato is the perfect book for young gardeners….Delicious vegetables are not the only stars of the garden: animals and insects also find their way in the illustrations, as well as mister dandelion, with its green leaves and yellow flowers, that the children will surely enjoy spotting in the pages.”

  • Marybacahaque

    “One Tomato….its sooooo cute! I also noticed how well made this little sturdy book is and it seems like it will last forever!”

  • Carly Sunshine Books

    This is such a sweet and adorable counting book that takes you through the garden in an engaging, whimsical rhyme with precious illustrations! I loved hunting for the “sneaky” dandelion on each page as well enjoying and searching for the other garden inhabitants. The beautifully detailed illustrations just bring this fun little rhyme to life! I love that it also has an end-page spread of all the vegetables with the numbers. Learning numbers, vegetables, and rhyme all in one sweet little board book. I can’t recommend this enough for your growing reader!

One Tomato Story

One night while cooking dinner I asked my daughter to run to the garden for a zucchini. Unfortunately, she came back with a cucumber! I realized we had some work to do on vegetable identification! So, I asked my niece, Anna Mullin, to illustrate several posters featuring vegetables we grew in our garden. She created three beautiful posters, I hung them in the kitchen and that’s the end of the story. Well, not really, because my mom, Shirley Mullin, owner of Kids Ink Children’s Bookstore, came for a visit and saw the posters and said “looks like you have a board book!” Luckily Rubber Ducky Press agreed we had a board book and published One Tomato in the summer of 2021.