The Vineyard Book

THE VINEYARD BOOK  (Hardcover - 45 pages) by Jack Johnston (the following is an excerpt from a review that appeared in Wine East and is reprinted with their permission) A VINEYARD BOOK FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS Many of our readers know the author, Jack Johnston, who with his wife Emily are the owners of Copernica Vineyards in Westminster, Maryland. This is a children’s book telling the story of a year in a small vineyard, a vineyard that is called Copernica Vineyards that also has a cat named Truman Capuddy and a dog Oliver. Neither Jack nor Emily is mentioned by name, but one hopes that the misadventures befalling the grower in the book never happened to Jack. The book starts by introducing some of the equipment used in the vineyard. After the vineyard is planted there are episodes involving spraying, encounters with birds and wildlife, harvesting and pruning. The misadventures occur when, for example, the grower drills the post-holes too deep, gets tangled up in netting, or winds up spraying himself on a windy day. More than 100 watercolor illustrations by Minnesota artist Moira Manion, many of them humorous or whimsical, make a major contribution in making the book entertaining for children (and perhaps serving as an object lesson for any adult who might be thinking about planting a vineyard). Very little has been written for children about growing grapes, the best example being Lynne Tuft’s The Grapes Grow Sweet: A Child’s First Harvest in Wine Country. In that book the author conveys the sense of wonder that a young boy might feel on experiencing a vineyard year for the first time. By contrast, Jack’s book is a romp through the vineyard year. Young children will fall in love with Truman and Oliver. With Christmas coming, this book would be a real find under the tree for the younger set. Adults, too, in addition to friends of Jack and Emily, will find the book amusing. THE VINEYARD BOOK, by Jack Johnston. Illustrated by Moira Manion. 45 pages. Can only be ordered from the publisher: Acme Press, P.O. Box 1702, Westminster, MD 21158 Telephone: 410-848-7577; fax: 410-857-5282; e-mail: emily@carr.org. Cost: $25.00 plus $2.50 shipping (Maryland residents should add $1.25 sales tax).