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Cherries and Cherry Pits: An Imaginative Story about Drawing and Storytelling for Kids
No one can tell a story quite like Bidemmi. When she starts to draw, her imagination takes off. Enter her world, look at her pictures, and watch her stories grow and grow—just like the forest of cherry trees she imagines right on her own block.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
About the author
Vera B. Williams
30 books55 followersGraduate of Black Mountain College, North Carolina, where she majored in graphic art. In her own words, she has "done graphic art, school teaching, children-raising [she has two daughters and a son], has run a bakery and been a cook in schools and restaurants." (from back flap of book)
Vera B. Williams is the winner of the 2009 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.
You can read much more about this author here or here
Vera B. Williams is the winner of the 2009 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.
You can read much more about this author here or here
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
April 15, 2013
-Diversity of characters
-Brightly-colored, detailed design, marker and water color illustrations.
-Familiar environment/context/experiences- riding the city train, living in an apartment, telling stories and drawing pictures to go with them
-Appealing text and familiar language that sounds as if someone is telling you a story
-Opportunities for inquiry: Bidemmi recycles cherry pits, what else can be recycled in your home/classroom?, experimenting with saving and growing seeds from fruits that we eat, watching how seeds grow. Bidemmi works hard to take care of her cherry tree, what would you need to do to take care of trees/plants outside/inside? Why is it important to take care of them?, Bidemmi wanted to make her yard more beautiful, and by growing the cherry tree, she was able to share with lots of people-Thinking about community gardens and how they work and help people.
-Brightly-colored, detailed design, marker and water color illustrations.
-Familiar environment/context/experiences- riding the city train, living in an apartment, telling stories and drawing pictures to go with them
-Appealing text and familiar language that sounds as if someone is telling you a story
-Opportunities for inquiry: Bidemmi recycles cherry pits, what else can be recycled in your home/classroom?, experimenting with saving and growing seeds from fruits that we eat, watching how seeds grow. Bidemmi works hard to take care of her cherry tree, what would you need to do to take care of trees/plants outside/inside? Why is it important to take care of them?, Bidemmi wanted to make her yard more beautiful, and by growing the cherry tree, she was able to share with lots of people-Thinking about community gardens and how they work and help people.
March 17, 2017
I remember this fondly from my own childhood, and the relatable storytelling (about people we meet on public transportation) and the vivid, marker-y illustrations are still winning kids over.
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March 11, 2014This review also appears on my blog.
The book opens:
The narrator spends the rest of the book with Bidemmi, who tries out her new marker. As she draws, Bidemmi tells stories about what she's drawing. "THIS is the door to the subway..." she begins, and tells a story about a man who brings a bag of cherries home to his children, which they eat, and spit out the pits.
Then another picture, and another story: "THIS is the train seat. And THIS is a tiny white woman sitting on the train seat..." begins a story about a woman who returns to her little one-room home with a bag of cherries, which she shares with her pet parrot, and they spit out the pits.
Another picture, another story: "THIS is a shoelace. And THIS is a running shoe. It's going to be purple and white..." begins a story about a boy (who "looks a lot like my brother", "is tall like my brother", "has glasses like my brother", "And when he smiles you can see the space between his big front teeth like my brother's.") who brings a cherry home to his little sister, and warns her not to forget to spit out the pit.
Finally, she begins another picture, and another story, to tie them all together: "THIS is me. And THIS is my station. I have to walk up the stairs one at a time..." begins a story about Bidemmi buying a bag of cherries, and eating them on her way home--and saving the pits. When she gets home, she plants the pits, which grow ever so slowly: "And all the time, cherries will be growing right under these leaves, so tiny and green no one even notices them. But I work hard. I come out every single day to chase away the blue jays that are trying to steal the cherries. I chase away the dogs that try to use the yard for their business and the kids who try to carve initials on the tree."
Finally, the cherries are ripe, and her neighbors come out: "There are enough cherries for every single one of them. And even for their friends from Nairobi and Brooklyn, Toronto and St. Paul, who come down in these airplanes." They eat the cherries and spit out the pits and "THIS cherry pit and THIS cherry pit and all the cherry pits start to grow until there is a whole forest of cherry trees right on our block."
This is a lovely little picture book. The frame story is illustrated in watercolors, and the drawings that Bidemmi makes to illustrate the stories she tells are done in marker. The book actually ends with a nice picture of watercolor-Bidemmi standing beside marker-Bidemmi, which I should have scanned, but didn't. Sorry! I do hate opening books up wide to scan them, and I believe I've abused this one enough.
Anyway, this was a fun read, and good for me since I needed something simple and pleasant, after the last couple of books I've read. Picture books are wonderful, since they're exactly what it says on the tin: art and stories together. Something you can enjoy in several different ways, and short enough to read whenever you like, too!
Cherries and Cherry Pits can be had quite cheaply, so if it sounds like your kind of book, do pick up a copy.
The book opens:
Bidemmi lives on the floor above me. We visit back and forth a lot. Bidemmi loves to draw, so when she opens the door I'm often standing there with a marker of some kind or color she doesn't have yet.
The narrator spends the rest of the book with Bidemmi, who tries out her new marker. As she draws, Bidemmi tells stories about what she's drawing. "THIS is the door to the subway..." she begins, and tells a story about a man who brings a bag of cherries home to his children, which they eat, and spit out the pits.
Then another picture, and another story: "THIS is the train seat. And THIS is a tiny white woman sitting on the train seat..." begins a story about a woman who returns to her little one-room home with a bag of cherries, which she shares with her pet parrot, and they spit out the pits.
Another picture, another story: "THIS is a shoelace. And THIS is a running shoe. It's going to be purple and white..." begins a story about a boy (who "looks a lot like my brother", "is tall like my brother", "has glasses like my brother", "And when he smiles you can see the space between his big front teeth like my brother's.") who brings a cherry home to his little sister, and warns her not to forget to spit out the pit.
Finally, she begins another picture, and another story, to tie them all together: "THIS is me. And THIS is my station. I have to walk up the stairs one at a time..." begins a story about Bidemmi buying a bag of cherries, and eating them on her way home--and saving the pits. When she gets home, she plants the pits, which grow ever so slowly: "And all the time, cherries will be growing right under these leaves, so tiny and green no one even notices them. But I work hard. I come out every single day to chase away the blue jays that are trying to steal the cherries. I chase away the dogs that try to use the yard for their business and the kids who try to carve initials on the tree."
Finally, the cherries are ripe, and her neighbors come out: "There are enough cherries for every single one of them. And even for their friends from Nairobi and Brooklyn, Toronto and St. Paul, who come down in these airplanes." They eat the cherries and spit out the pits and "THIS cherry pit and THIS cherry pit and all the cherry pits start to grow until there is a whole forest of cherry trees right on our block."
This is a lovely little picture book. The frame story is illustrated in watercolors, and the drawings that Bidemmi makes to illustrate the stories she tells are done in marker. The book actually ends with a nice picture of watercolor-Bidemmi standing beside marker-Bidemmi, which I should have scanned, but didn't. Sorry! I do hate opening books up wide to scan them, and I believe I've abused this one enough.
Anyway, this was a fun read, and good for me since I needed something simple and pleasant, after the last couple of books I've read. Picture books are wonderful, since they're exactly what it says on the tin: art and stories together. Something you can enjoy in several different ways, and short enough to read whenever you like, too!
Cherries and Cherry Pits can be had quite cheaply, so if it sounds like your kind of book, do pick up a copy.
September 25, 2018
What was your favorite part? The cherries and um, the father and the drawings and cherry pits! And spitting out!
There's more and more and more and more and more and more!
There's more and more and more and more and more and more!
February 24, 2018
In this cute and imaginative novel, the main character, Bidemmi, loves to tell stories. She tells the journey of several different people, each story involving cherries and cherry pits. The final story she tells is about herself. She describes how she would plant cherry seeds in her yard until she has enough cherries to feed everyone.
I thought this was an adorable story and I especially enjoyed seeing the vibrant illustrations that accompanied each page. I would recommend this book to younger students (grades 1-3). In conclusion, I rated it 3 stars due to its simple, yet enjoyable storyline.
Quote: "Then the people come out the back door and the front door and down the steps. There are enough cherries for every single one of them."
I thought this was an adorable story and I especially enjoyed seeing the vibrant illustrations that accompanied each page. I would recommend this book to younger students (grades 1-3). In conclusion, I rated it 3 stars due to its simple, yet enjoyable storyline.
Quote: "Then the people come out the back door and the front door and down the steps. There are enough cherries for every single one of them."
June 3, 2013
I love the voice in this book as much as the illustrations. Williams switches nicely between "her" illustrations and "Bidemmi's" illustrations, making Bidemmi's drawings very childlike and believable. And Bidemmi's stories are delightfully stream of consciousness sounding--just like most children.
March 18, 2021
I enjoyed this unique story, as did my 3.5 year old. It feels written the way kids talk, with flowing sentences and disconnected ideas but such enthusiasm and curiosity about the world that it holds you engaged. I'm always torn by Vera B Williams because she is a white writer who, like Maribeth Boelts or Ezra Jack Keats, writes effectively and with great care about protagonists of colour. So i find myself wishing they were Ownvoices stories, but thinking they are effective nonetheless and especially given this was published in 1991 it was just a time when the publishing world was so racist, that this was what being progressive looked like. So if you like stories about creativity that feel like they're in a rambly kid's voice about nothing much in particular but also how they see the world, this is a great one.
November 23, 2020
Remember Vera B. Williams' book A Chair for My Mother? Here's another favorite donated to the used bookstore where I work. A young girl, Bidemmi, is given a new marker by the person who tells this story and immediately begins to draw. She begins with a dot... Her imagination in the art and the story as she draws ends up in "cherries", as do the other stories in this other special book. Its sort of a cumulative story, each new one that Bidemmi draws come together to make the end quite spectacular, more cherries. The illustrations are filled with color as Williams tells the story of this girl's imagination, one older book full of kindness that new readers will love.
May 20, 2017
#Imagination and #Storytelling by a Master story teller. She is young Bidemmi! #YoungReaders #PictureBook #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #amreading
February 5, 2019
Bidemmi's story is neat.
February 9, 2022
Cool illustrations - 4.5 stars. Story - 2 stars. 3 average
September 2, 2022
Not bad this was another book I found in my class room.
November 7, 2022
Read more at MindfulMuslimReader.com.
“Books Worth Reading”
“Books Worth Reading”
February 5, 2023
Excellent story told from an adolescent's point of view. I enjoyed reading this to my children and grandchildren.
read-to-bobby
September 11, 2023Kind of high concept, very sweet
November 11, 2024
A cute book, but just OK for me. Though it captures a kid's imagination, it does so almost too literally. Also, the style of the illustrations wasn't my favorite.
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April 19, 2025Happy reunion with a favorite library book of my seven year old self.
April 1, 2026
I like cherries ok. the book was kind of repetitive. I knew what was going to happen.
June 28, 2026
I've been in a reading slump for several weeks now and to get out of it I decided to reread some childhood favorites, including this precious picture book. This was the first book I ever checked out from my school's library in kindergarten. I think I was drawn in by the beautiful multicolor cover art. I used to say my favorite color was "rainbow" as a kid. The artwork in this book is stunning and is as enjoyable as the sweet story within.
March 17, 2008
I love this book. It features beautiful, true to 6 or 7 year old style drawings by the protagonist who imagines different people eating cherries. At the end she draws herself and reveals what she would do with the pits. I was actually inspired to plant m own cherry tree after reading this book as well as tasting real cherries in a friend's backyard in Buffalo. Unfortunately, the cherry tree I planted snapped this winter, but I'm going to plant another one. And on a website about symbols I found that cherry trees represent new beginnings...
I'm reminded of that book title -- if life is a bowl of cherries... well .. in this book, the pits and the cherries both feature as idealism, sharing and love.
I'm reminded of that book title -- if life is a bowl of cherries... well .. in this book, the pits and the cherries both feature as idealism, sharing and love.
July 5, 2010
Vera B. Williams writes stories with interesting lessons . . . and they're colorful too! This one is no different.
Bidemmi is a little girl who likes to draw. As she does, she describes what she is drawing . . . in story-form.
Each of her stories revolve around someone eating cherries and being reminded to spit out the pits. Bidemmi talks so quickly and moves from point to point that the narrator never gets to ask a question. At last she asks, "Is that story about you?" Bidemmi says it is not, but will tell one that is.
In "her" story she purchases a big bag of cherries. As she eats them, one by one, she saves the pits. Then she plants them. The seeds sprout. She cares for her plants. Soon, she has a forest of cherry trees . . . enough to feed everyone. :)
Cute.
Bidemmi is a little girl who likes to draw. As she does, she describes what she is drawing . . . in story-form.
Each of her stories revolve around someone eating cherries and being reminded to spit out the pits. Bidemmi talks so quickly and moves from point to point that the narrator never gets to ask a question. At last she asks, "Is that story about you?" Bidemmi says it is not, but will tell one that is.
In "her" story she purchases a big bag of cherries. As she eats them, one by one, she saves the pits. Then she plants them. The seeds sprout. She cares for her plants. Soon, she has a forest of cherry trees . . . enough to feed everyone. :)
Cute.
August 24, 2008
Let me say, before we start out, that this is a wordy book. It's definitely more suited for the older end of the 4-8 crowd.
This is a story of a young artist. She draws three pictures of three people, and tells the stories of how they eat cherries on three occasions.
Then she finally tells her own story, and her own plan, about how she intends to save the pits from her own cherries and plant them, until there is a "forest of cherry trees" she can share with the whole world.
Simple, strong story. The young nieces sit for it, and I love it too.
This is a story of a young artist. She draws three pictures of three people, and tells the stories of how they eat cherries on three occasions.
Then she finally tells her own story, and her own plan, about how she intends to save the pits from her own cherries and plant them, until there is a "forest of cherry trees" she can share with the whole world.
Simple, strong story. The young nieces sit for it, and I love it too.
January 26, 2011
The little girl in this story has an extremely detailed imagination. As she draws her pictures, many questions can be formed. Are her characters real, just from her imagination, or a little of both? Why does she keep talking about spitting out the pits? This book shows that any experience can be turned into our own creative interpretation. Even things that are seemingly useless, like cherry pits can be used to create something beautiful and enjoyable. I would recommend this story to a child who was struggling with creativity.
November 2, 2008
Vera B.Williams is one of my favorite author-illustrators. This book is about a girl named Bidemmi who makes up stories while she draws. I love to use this book with my students to model how writers paint pictures with their words .I read the text and withhold the pictures so that they can visualize on their own before I show Williams' illustrations. The children also like to see how Williams uses interesting borders that relate directly to the story.
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November 14, 2011Cherries and Cherry Pits is a book about a girl with a creative imagination. She tells great stories to her friend that involves cherries and how they bring people together. She bases her stories off of her father who used to bring her and her siblings cherries that they would eat together to spend quality time with each other. It has a plenty of adjectives that a lesson could be based off of or the use of story elementes (beginning, middle, and end) could be taught using this book as well.
November 28, 2012
Cherries and Cherry pits by Vera B. Williams is a great story full of imagination, dreams, and creativity. The young girl loves to write and illustrate stories about people eating cherries. This book is a great book to show children that any experience can be turned into a story. The story ends with the young girl telling a story about herself and the cherries. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about creativity.
September 1, 2015
In this story the little girl lets her immgination take her away and she draws up quite a few stories about people eating cherries, and she ends up drawing herself growing a cheery tree and having a cherry farm out of her back yard. What I liked most about this book was the illustrations. The illustrator drew the little girl in a very interesting and pretty way, and the rest of her illustrations were in marker. I thought it was creative and different.
November 29, 2016
Bidemmi is the little girl who lives upstairs and loves to draw and tell stories. She has quite the imagination. One day Bidemmi creates a story of imagining different people and their stories all tied together with eating cherries and cherry pits. Cherries and cherry pits grow and connect the world and its stories. I liked how the focus was on Bidemmi's story and was told as if she was imagining and the colorful illustrations were drawn as if a child has drawn them. 3.5 out of 5.
May 24, 2012
What a fun book! I loved reading the stories the little girl, Biddemi, tells and seeing the pictures she draws. Her stories about the cherries are so fun and envelope the entire neighborhood. This is also a great book to show the growth cycle of a tree from a cherry pit to sprout to seedling to tree to cherry. An awesome book on so many levels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2012
What a fun book! I loved reading the stories the little girl, Biddemi, tells and seeing the pictures she draws. Her stories about the cherries are so fun and envelope the entire neighborhood. This is also a great book to show the growth cycle of a tree from a cherry pit to sprout to seedling to tree to cherry. An awesome book on so many levels.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews