I asked my new
Illinois Farm Mom friends for some book recommendations for young
children that specifically show us what modern (commercial) farming looks like (not the
romanticized version). Don’t get me wrong, I love Charlotte’s Web and the outdated
farm picture books, but I specifically wanted to find out what was out there
that could create a more accurate image of where our food comes from in the
minds of my boys.
And it’s not just for kids! I have also included an adult reading list from another Illinois
I don’t know about you, but
when summer hits and the library reading program starts, the piles of books
start to heap up on the coffee table, at the head of the beds, at the foot of
the beds, in the car, and everywhere in between. We usually just "grab and go" as
we find interesting covers on our library trips, but here are a few titles to
seek out to add a little food and farm genre into your mix. I simply go online a few days in advance, request the books be placed on hold, and the next
time we go the library they are waiting for us on the “Holds” shelf. It’s super
easy and it’s like getting a present when we visit the library!
Books for Children
By Elisha Cooper
I highly recommend this
book. It is beautifully illustrated in watercolor and the story is well done. The large-farm
setting matches the reality of what we have seen here on large farms in Illinois
By Tom Lichtenheld
I am partial to this author.
I met him in our village a number of years ago and we have enjoyed his other
books. This is a fun read and another great reminder that you don’t have to be
big to make a big difference to someone. It’s also a reminder that farming is
dependent on weather, especially rain!
By Bonnie Worth (A Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
Who doesn’t love the Cat in
the Hat? This is a fun book all about how seeds grow and what they do. It’s a
great book for a wide age range. The youngest listener will enjoy the pictures
and an older reader will get something out of the vocabulary and science.
By Cris Peterson
Harvest is occurring in
every month throughout the year somewhere in the U.S.
By Gail Gibbons
I have yet to not like a
book by Gail Gibbons. This one does a good job of touching upon the many
aspects of corn. This book could be enhanced by a post-reading trip to the
farmer’s market to buy some sweet corn!
By Raymond Bial
Soybeans aren’t usually one
of the crops we grow in our garden, they aren’t something we usually see in the
produce aisle, and they are even a little tough to find in the frozen foods
case; but, soybeans are in so many of the processed foods that we eat and in
many other non-food products, as well. Through photographs and detailed text,
this book does a thorough job of teaching us all about soybeans. There are
enough photos for the pre-reader to engage in and plenty of detail to interest
the older listener. It was an unexpected education for me, too!
By Peggy Thomas
In addition to being a
general and our first president, George Washington was a farmer who enjoyed
experimenting!
By Cris Peterson
This book tells a great
story, in words and photos, about the family farm. Ninety-five percent of farms
in the U.S.
By Cris Peterson
This books shows children
all the different, and mostly BIG, machines used to grow and harvest corn,
soybeans, and alfalfa. My boys like this one.
By Cris Peterson
This book has great photos
and descriptions that tell us about the process of raising a cow for milk,
making milk, and finally how milk is made into cheese for our pizzas.
Bonus Picture Books
By Arthur Geisert
Hogwash and Thunderstorm are
two of many books by this author/illustrator. These books are not specifically about farming
(although, Thunderstorm makes a connection) and, really, the only connection to
farming is the farm animal, pig. My boys love these books and Hogwash is our
favorite – I think it’s the machines and gears that appeal here. These books
are about the silly, fanciful, and imaginative activities that a colony of pigs
engages in. The drawings are extremely detailed and my boys ask to “read”
(Hogwash is a wordless book) the books over and over, while flipping forward
and back to examine and question what is happening in the illustrations.
Books for Older Young Readers
By Peter Menzel
This book is fun to browse,
even as an adult. It takes a look at what a week’s worth of family groceries
looks like in many different parts of the world.
By Michelle Houts
By Rosanne Perry
Books for Adults
By Pierre DesRochers and Hiroko Shimizu
By Jayson Lusk
By Maureen Ogle
By Robert Zubrin
By Michele Payn-Knoper
Nutrition / Reference
By Roberta Larson Duyff
This book was recommended to us at our first tour by the registered dietitian who gave a talk. It's all in here! Food labels, health and fitness, how to shop, your safe kitchen, nutrients, feeding kids, for women, for athletes, reducing risk of disease, and on and on. This is a good reference to have and not too pricey.
By Jodie Shield and Mary Catherine Mullen
I did a review of this book
as one of my first blog posts in March. Good book, easy read.
No comments:
Post a Comment