Claire Visits the Boston Public Market

By Julia Lindsey

Illustrated by TechBoston Academy students (2019)

Adapted by Jon Cook

Page Sections

One sunny day, Claire and her dad took a trip into the city. Today was a special day: they were going to visit the Boston Public Market!

A drawing of a table with benches and food on it. The table is surrounded by stalls

The Boston Public Market is a big indoor farmers market right in the middle of the city. Inside, there are rows and rows of stalls filled with fresh food.

drawing of the different stalls at the boston public market

They hopped off the T and stepped into the market. Claire’s eyes grew wide.

“Look at all this food!” she said, turning to her dad.

Everywhere she looked, there were mouth watering fruits and steamy soups!

a drawing of a farm with a farmhouse, tractor, and various vegetables

“Where does it all come from?” Claire asked.

“Farmers grow all of this food,” Dad said. “Once it’s ready, they bring it here to sell.”

So off they went into the market.

drawing of two silhouettes walking across a checked floor toward a stall labeled 'farm'

“Where should we go first?” asked Dad.

Claire pointed to a stall with shiny fish on ice. “Let’s look at the fish!” she said.

drawing of various multi-colored fish laid out on a stall with a knife

They watched the workers chopping and sorting the catch of the day: tuna, salmon, cod, and haddock.

Then, Claire saw something she had never seen before.

“Can we please get some, Dad?” she asked, pointing to a bag of clams.

“Sure!” said Dad with a smile. The clams reminded him of the steamers he used to eat at the No Name Restaurant as a kid.

With their bag of clams, they walked over to Nella Pasta. Chefs were making fresh pasta right there at the stall!

“Can we please get a bowl of pasta?” Claire asked.

“Of course, dear,” said Dad.

They sat down and shared a big bowl of spaghetti with fresh shrimp on top. Yum!

drawing of a woman smiling next to a gallery of nuts labeled "nuts and more"

They were almost at the end of the market when they came across Q’s Nuts. There were so many tasty nuts to choose from, and the smell of roasted nuts filled the air.

a drawing of three bags of various types of nuts

drawing of a building labeled "boston public market" with a container of oranges and another of apples outside

“I want to eat more, but I’m stuffed!” Claire said.

“Don’t worry,” Dad said. “Just grab a handful of nuts. We’ll save the rest for later.”

With her bag of nuts and his bag of clams, Claire and her dad reached the end of the market.

It had been a wonderful afternoon. They’d filled up on fresh food and fun treats.

“I love the Boston Public Market. Can we come back soon?” Claire asked. “Of course,” Dad said. “But first, we have a lot of food to eat!”

They laughed and hopped back on the T, full of good food and happy memories.

TALK ABOUT THE TEXT

1. What can you buy at the Boston Public Market?

2. How do you think the Boston Public Market helps farmers?

3. What are some experiences you can have at the Boston Public Market that you can't have at a grocery store?

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