It’s Corn Picking Time!
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It’s Corn Picking Time!

by Jill Esbaum
Illustrator(s): Melissa Crowton
Published by Neal Porter Books
Hardcover | Pages: 40
Size: 8 x 10 | USD: $18.99
ISBN: 9780823455614
Publication Date: July 29, 2025
Age: 4-8

About the Book

★★★THE REVIEWS ARE IN!★★★

“The tightness of Esbaum’s onomatopoetic rhyme makes potentially unfamiliar terminology accessible, while Crowton’s lovely and detailed illustrative art invites immersion—her grounded palette and innovative use of perspective and shadow permeate the story, evoking autumn’s crisp temperatures and wood-smoky smells.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Crisp, textural images by Crowton (In Our Garden) bring a hand-painted, toylike feel to scenes that steadily depict hard work. There’s something here for every reader: savory language in smartly scanning rhymes, detailed scenes of farm life, and a step-by-step tribute to the machines and processes that make the harvest possible.”
Publishers Weekly

“Readers interested in farm life will be especially intrigued, of course, but the lyrical text makes this an inviting and enlightening read-aloud even for those who have not yet given much thought to where corn comes from.”
Booklist

“The artwork has the sturdy squareness of Eric Carle’s animals blended with the soft faces of Raymond Briggs’s human characters.”
School Library Journal

“Esbaum’s well-crafted rhyme carries the corn from field to bin with every accompanying sight, sound, and smell. Crowton’s warm, inviting illustrations in an autumnal palette help both to convey the information and to humanize the work….An informative and playful ode to agriculture.”
The Horn Book (Review Not Final)