3 December 2013 LET'S GO NUTS! SEEDS WE EAT by April Pulley Sayre, Beach Lane/Simon and Schuster, August 2013, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-4424-6728-6 

"Do you or I or anyone know

how oats, peas beans and barley grow"

-- Traditional British and American folk song 

"Seeds are power packs of nutrition.  They contain a plant embryo -- the beginning of a young plant.  But they also contain energy, stored as plant food.  This energy will power the young plant until if forms green leaves.  (Once it has leaves, a young plant can make food for itself through photosynthesis.)  A seed's energy is stored in the form of fats, proteins, and starches.  That makes seeds nutritious and tasty.  Seeds are also an excellent food because they store well."

-- from the author's afterword, "A Few More Handfuls: The Scoop on Seeds"

As with RAH, RAH, RADISHES! and GO, GO, GRAPES!, LET'S GO NUTS! is made up of a bouncy chant and great photographs.  And, as with the other two books, it logically brings together a somewhat disparate group of foods into one category.

But while I loved RAH, RAH, RADISHES! and GO, GO, GRAPES!, I love this one even more.  Here's why:

I've eaten a vegetarian diet for the past thirty-six years and a vegan diet for the past twelve years. And while I don't eat meat or eggs or dairy products, I feel pretty healthy and I have more than enough energy.  Why?  In large part, because I eat a lot of seeds.

As we learn in LET'S GO NUTS!, the seeds we eat can be grouped into nuts, beans, grains, and there are also some spices that are derived from seeds.  The portion of the author's afterword that I quote (above) is such a perfect explanation of why one can maintain a vegan diet and have plenty of energy.  Today, for example, I have eaten wheat, cashew butter, rice and pinto beans.  And after I get done with this essay, I'll treat myself to some "ice cream" made from rice which I'll top with some coconut (which, as we learn here, is the world's largest edible nut).  That these seeds provide lots of energy for living healthy is why many millions of tons of these same seed foods are utilized every day in growing meat animals.

One more reason why I find this book fascinating is that the foods photographed here do not have all the bright colors we find in Sayre's vegetable book and fruit book.  There is a lot more subtlety here, calling for a lot closer look.

Think about it: The world grows many times more seeds -- particularly wheat, rice, soybeans, oats, and corn -- than it does vegetables or fruit.  That makes this one an important and interesting book. 

And no doubt some of you recognize that if we diverted just a fraction of those tons of seed foods that are used in growing meat animals away from that task and, instead, fed them directly to people, then there would be no need for hunger in the world.

Just sayin...

Richie Partington, MLIS

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