NASHVILLE — A walking, talking Vidalia Onion joined the Berrien Primary School student body Tuesday morning for a reading celebration. Known as Yumion the onion, he also introduced the developing young minds to Georgia’s rich and exciting history.

The students squealed with delight when the star of the Yumion Series entered the school’s gymnasium, bouncing and swaying to the beat of the music playing in the background. Instantly, he found a friend in 7-year-old Marly Garner.

“I like Yumion,” said the first grader. “I like the fact that he’s yellow and does lots of crazy things. He’s a lot of fun.”

A creation of Be Sweet Publications Inc., Yumion the Onion is the star of two children’s Georgia history books — “The Onion Ambassador” and “Yumion Goes to the City.”

The first book tells the story of Yumion’s birth on a farm in Vidalia and covers rural South Georgia, including its land, culture, modes of transportation, and products. The second is about Yumion’s mission to reach the governor of Georgia and have the Vidalia onion declared the state vegetable. During this adventure,

he gets lost and visits many Atlanta area attractions, including the state farmers market, Stone Mountain, Zoo Atlanta,

The World of Coca Cola, and the state capitol.

“Yumion taught me that the state capitol building has gold on top,” Garner said. “I also like it when he climbed on top of Stone Mountain. I’ve been there before many times.”

Be Sweet Publications Inc., located in Collins, was formed by two teachers with a desire to create Georgia history books for young children.

“These are the first children’s history books written about our state,” said Peggy Gaskins, Berrien Primary School’s literacy coach, a job she shares with Gail Melton. “These books help us promote both reading and Georgia’s history.”

And that’s exactly what Pam Alexander, Yumion Series illustrator and publisher, did Tuesday. “The reason we read is to make our brains grow,” she said. “Reading makes your brain strong. You need to read a lot even if it gets hard and you don’t want to.”

Alexander also introduced the students to the book-making process, from coming up with an idea to writing the story to creating the illustrations to making the pages to the shipping of the end product.

“I like to read,” said Hakeem Brown, 7, a second-grader. “I have fun when I read books. I like to look at the pictures, and wish I could climb inside the book and be part of the story.”

A third book, “Yumion’s Mountain Holiday,” will be released this fall. A fourth is under way. And although it has not been titled, this book will involve Yumion the Onion discovering Georgia’s coast, islands, and swamps.



To contact reporter Jessica Pope, please call 244-3400, ext. 255.