Avocado Asks: What am I? by Momoko Abe
Avocado is chilling in the produce section of the supermarket when a young customer asks if avocado is considered a fruit or a vegetable. This question stumps avocado who has no idea what type of food it is, spirals into a full on identity crises resulting in Avocado journeying through all sections of the supermarket looking for the answer.
For anyone who has at some point felt like they didn’t know where they belonged and developed a sense of confusion, anxiety or frustration from it, this book is for them. Without spoiling the entire book, all I can say is the author uses a thinly veiled metaphor to discuss the question of fitting in that can (but don’t have to) be applied to many different social connotations such as gender, multi-racial, and/or multi-cultural identity. The author uses humor as a technique to discuss a potentially stressful topic with children. The story provides examples of how others may be un-empathetic towards an internal struggle, while others will be there to help along the way. The colorful images tie into the storyline by supporting the silly tone of the book.
The story also provides a secondary function of providing a breakdown of the different food types, what they are and their descriptions. Of course, this then ties in with yet another lesson which not everything will be definable. This book goes beyond the concept of labels challenging the reader not to expect everything or everyone to fit into a category.
This book is a picture book that is great for storytime because the humor is enjoyable for all ages, easy to read at a quick pace, and the illustrations are large and clear. It promotes self-acceptance, tolerance, and perspective. Although the reading level is simple and would be better targeted for younger ages, I’ve seen it used for storytime for as old as 2nd grade with success.
Request this book from your local library!
Bibliography
Abe, M. (2020). Avocado Asks: What Am I? Orchard Books.
Amazon Link
https://www.amazon.com/Avocado-Asks-What-Am-I/dp/1408358220
Shelf Adulation 