newchildrensbooksBefore We Eat

Before we eat, many people must work very hard planting grain, catching fish, tending animals, and filling crates. In this book, vibrantly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, readers find out what must happen before food can get to our table to nourish our bodies and spirits.

Probably my favorite children's book about farming, in BEFORE WE EAT, by Pat Brisson and illustrated by Caldecott medalist Mary Azarian, young readers learn that milk doesn’t just appear in the refrigerator, or apples on your kitchen counter. Before we eat, many people must work very hard planting grain, catching fish, tending animals, and filling crates. In this book, vibrantly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, readers find out what must happen before food can get to our table to nourish our bodies and spirits.

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Oodles of Tomatoes and One Packed Van

From the arrival of the first seed catalog to autumn frost, see how the garden grows! Spend time with the farmer and his wife in this down-to-earth, in-the-dirt story of planning, planting, and harvesting vegetables to sell at market. Enjoy engaging activities and colorful artwork in this fun learning children’s book of market gardening.

Author Lois Lenkner lives on a farm in Barber County, Kansas, where she and her husband, Robert, raise farm-fresh produce for their seasonal market stand. The book is written at roughly a second-grade reading level, so older kids can read about the farm themselves. In a realistic detail, the farmer is prone to leaving his blue coffee cup around the farm, and there is a cup on every page that children will enjoy finding.

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Go to Sleep, Little Farm

This is a great bedtime book that visits all the animals getting ready for sleep on the farm, ending with your little one. Engaging illustrations are nostalgic and modern at the same time. A great way to get everyone on the farm ready for sleep.

In the tradition of Margaret Wise Brown, Mary Lyn Ray presents a hushed picture book about the rhythm of the natural world on a small farm as all creatures prepare for sleep. Artist Christopher Silas Neal's classic illustrations quiet even the most restless little night owls with familiar childlike imagery and the comforts of routine. All is well, it reminds them. Now is the time for dreams.

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Rainbow Stew

It’s a rainy summer day, but the vegetables in Grandpa’s garden are just waiting to be picked. Yellow peppers, purple cabbage, red tomatoes, green zucchini, orange carrots, and more. So many colors! So many delicious ingredients to slice, chop, peel, and dice for a great big pot of mouthwatering Rainbow Stew.

Though not about a farm per se, this book will show kids the joy of working in the garden with family, and then cooking and eating the fruits of their labors. Great illustrations by author and illustrator Cathryn Falwell bring the story alive for kids.