Preparations for market time, farmers begin to harvest and make their products for the market.m The story shows the processes for farming and setting up booths at the market.

Author/artist G. Brian Karas follows the process whereby food gets from the field to the table in this engaging celebration of small farms, farmers' markets, and the people who staff them and buy from them. The first section profiles three different farms - a general produce farm, a dairy farm where cheese is produced, and a mushroom farm - while the second follows the proprietor of a local cafe as she shops for what she needs to make that day's special.

A solid picture-book examination of how food is produced, On the Farm, At the Market is the first title I have read that is both written and illustrated by Karas, whose work illustrating other author's texts - including the similarly themed Anywhere Farm, by Phyllis Root - was already familiar to me. I appreciated the use of a fictional narrative (or narratives) to explore an informational topic, and although I wouldn't say this one was destined to be a particular favorite, I think it works very well, both as an introduction to farms and farm markets specifically, and more generally as a means of prompting young children to consider the source of their food. ( )