Lindsay H. Metcalf (Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm) dissects the question of whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable in her alliterative, pun-filled nonfiction picture book Tomatoes on Trial. Metcalf, referencing a 19th-century Supreme Court battle over produce taxes, lays out the evidence on both sides of the argument with humor and panache. Her playful text and the "blotted line and color wash" illustrations crafted by Edwin Fotheringham (Those Rebels, John and Tom) together make a deliciously fun historical "food fight."
In 1886, "produce king of New York" John Nix wanted to beat his competition and bring in the spring's first tomatoes. But the U.S. government taxed fruits lower than vegetables. Nix argued that his tomatoes from Bermuda should be considered fruits; the Customs House collector believed that "if Nix wanted to haul [tomatoes] in from overseas, he would have to pay up." When neither side budged, Nix sued the collector. "After six years of stewing, the [Nix v. Hedden] case boiled over into the US Supreme Court" where both sides made their arguments for the proper definition of a tomato.
Fotheringham's delightful, realistic illustrations, executed in the blotted line technique created by Andy Warhol, depict a competitive atmosphere of culinary amusement. Metcalf's poetic prose banters and blusters as it renders this fascinating history about one of the country's most popular foods; backmatter offers readers additional information. Regardless of whether a reader is Team Fruit or Team Vegetable, Tomatoes on Trial serves up a healthy portion of legal process with ample sides of entertainment and insight. --Jen Forbus, freelancer