Las Espinacas de Sylvia

Perfect for picky eaters! This delightful picture book follows Sylvia Spivens, who hates spinach, but is tasked with growing it when her teacher hands her a packet of spinach seeds to plant in the school garden.

Discover the joy of growing food and trying it for the first time!

Too Many Pears!

Pamela the cow is eating all the pears! What's a family to do? Daughter Amy hatches a plan in this funny tale written in both English and Spanish.

Demasiadas peras!

Pamela the cow is eating all the pears! What's a family to do? Daughter Amy hatches a plan in this funny tale written in both English and Spanish.

Harvesting Friends

Lupe loves her family's salsa garden, but when the big, juicy tomatoes go missing, she investigates the cause. A story of understanding, friendship, and growing food as a community unfolds in this bilingual picture book. Includes easy-to-make salsa and salad recipes too!

Written in both English and Spanish.

Sylvia's Spinach

Perfect for picky eaters! This delightful picture book follows Sylvia Spivens, who hates spinach, but is tasked with growing it when her teacher hands her a packet of spinach seeds to plant in the school garden.

Discover the joy of growing food and trying it for the first time!

My Family's Soybean Farm

A fun and informative picture book detailing life on a soybean farm. Narrated by farm boy Alexander and his helpful dog Charlie, this book explores the life cycle of a soybean plant, getting the crop to market, and the various ways soybeans are used for products in our everyday lives.

I Love Strawberries

This colorful, scrapbook-style picture book documents the lead character Jolie's love of strawberries and her determination to grow them from seedling to table. Along with her pet rabbit Munchy, Jolie discovers the intricate and hard work involved in growing food. Integrated pest management and growing tips are included in this entertaining tale.

The Thing About Bees

Bees pollinate the food we love to eat, so don't fear them! This picture book, written as a love letter to the author's sons, teaches readers about different kinds of bees, “how not to get stung,” and that the things we fear are often the things we don't fully understand.

Bread Lab

Perfect for readers age 5 – 10, this picture book explores the science behind making bread. Follow along as lead character Iris makes sourdough from scratch and is surprised that bread needs only four ingredients―flour, water, salt and starter.

Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table

The true story of urban farmer Will Allen, a former basketball star, who excels at urban farming. No space, no problem. Poor soil, there's a solution. Need help, found it. Farmer Will is a genius in solving problems, see his story come to life in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

Zoras Zucchini

An over abundant zucchini crop causes Zora to think of creative ways to utilize the vegetable. The answer? A garden-swap, follow along as this delightful picture book documents one of California's prolific summer crop.

Las Calabacitas de Zora

An over abundant zucchini crop causes Zora to think of creative ways to utilize the vegetable. The answer? A garden-swap, follow along as this delightful picture book documents one of California's prolific summer crop.

Our School Garden

A new school becomes less daunting when Michael finds the school garden. The picture book, which documents how school gardens can promote more learning, more friends and more exploration is designed for readers ages 8-12 years old.

Tales of the Dairy Godmother

Young readers will love this delicious tale! What happens when you wish for all the ice cream you can eat and a Dairy Godmother makes that wish come true? This story shows how farmers care for cows, what cows eat, what happens to all that milk, and where that delicious ice cream actually comes from!

Tops & Bottoms

A clever tale about using wits to overcome hardship! See how the Hare convinces Bear to let him claim the “bottom” in this farming adventure. A great read-aloud book for the classroom. This title has also been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Stories).

Lettuce Introduce You Poems about Food

A photo-illustrated poetry collection focused on food. Written for K-2 students, this fun book contains original poems about everything from watermelon and bologna to s'mores and yes, lettuce!

Barn At Night

When you grow up on a farm, adventures happen all day long—even at night! On a cold winter evening, a father and daughter go out to the barn and are welcomed with a warm scene. Who is awake, who is asleep, and who is just making their first appearance in the barn?

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin

This book makes a wonderful read-aloud companion to any math or science curriculum, and it's a fun way to reinforce topics like skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment!

No Ordinary Apple

A Story About Eating Mindfully written by Sarah Marlowe, illustrated by Phil Pascuzzo On an otherwise ordinary day, Elliot discovers something extraordinary: the power of mindfulness. Elliot is disappointed by his afternoon snack, but when encouraged to carefully and attentively look, feel, smell, taste, and even listen to the apple, Elliot discovers that this apple is not ordinary at all.

'Til The Cows Come Home

Written by Jodi Icenoggle, illustrated by Normand Chartier. A delightful cowboy interpretation of the old Jewish folktale, “The Button.” In this book, a resourceful cowboy finds a way to use one beautiful piece of leather in a variety of situations, making the piece last 'til the cows come home. This book has strong themes of caring for livestock, family belonging, and Western living.

When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree

Written by Jamie L.B. Deenihan, Illustrated by Lorraine Rocha. When grandma gives a lemon tree for her birthday, a young girl tries to hide her disappointment. But when she follows the narrators careful—and humorous—instructions, she discovers the tree was exactly what she wanted after all. This story celebrates the patience, hard work, and community required to grow your own food.

Right This Very Minute

Written by Lisl H. Detlefsen, Illustrated by Renée Kurilla. Framed around children's mealtimes, this brightly illustrated picture book answers the essential question, “Where does my food come from?” Showcasing farmers producing a variety of agricultural commodities, children learn facts about crop rotation, soil sensors, and how produce gets to market.

The Seagoing Cowboy

Written by Peggy Reiff Miller, Illustrated by Claire Ewart. By 1945, Poland had been ravaged. Its cities and farmland had been bombed badly, the people who had survived were in need of food. This fictional picture book expands on the true story of seagoing cowboys who delivered livestock to countries in desperate need of rebuilding after the war's devastation.

The Seagoing Cowboy

Written by Chris Butterworth, Illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti. From planting wheat to mixing dough, climbing trees to machine-squeezing fruit, picking cocoa pods to stirring a vat of melted bliss, this book features the steps involved in producing popular kid foods. Vibrant illustrations and diagrams highlight the complex processes that result in of food production.

Who Grew My Soup?

Written by Tom Darbyshire, Illustrated by C.F. Payne. Phineas Quinn will only agree to eat vegetable soup if his mother can tell him who grew it. Enter Mr. Mattoo, chief soup soupervisor, and his tomato-shaped balloon. Phin spends the day flying from farm to farm, learning how the vegetables in soup are grown, and vastly increasing his love for vegetable soup.

The Midnight Farm

Written by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Susan Jeffers. A lyrical book that reveals what happens on the farm after the sun goes down. Detailed illustrations capture each mystery as it is uncovered—in the orchard, barnyard, stable, and home. This is a rare depiction of the midnight hour not only as a safe, snug place, but as a celebration of life, hope, and wonder.

The Tree Farmer

Written by Chuck Leavell and Nicholas Cravotta, illustrated by Rebecca Bleau. Through the interactions of a grandfather and his grandson, this story explains the vital role trees play in our lives—providing us with the wood for our homes, furniture, and other products. The Tree Farmer educates readers about timber, while celebrating a farmer's love of the land and the wise use of its resources.

Hattie Big Sky

by Kirby Lawson. After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, 16-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa to “prove up” his claim and a make permanent home for herself. Hattie is quickly acquainted with the many hardships facing a young homesteader, but finds a family of loyal friends along the way.

Hero for the Hungry

Can a quiet Iowa farm boy grow up to change the world? Yes. Norman Borlaug, an 19th century American agriculture scientist is responsible for innovations in crop varieties that helped feed the world. This moving biography includes colorful illustrations and includes STEM and history related topics.

Squashed

by Joan Bauer. Ellie Morgan's life would be almost perfect if she could get her potentially prize-winning pumpkin to put on about 200 pounds before the Rock River Pumpkin Weigh-In. Sprinkled with humor, agriculture wisdom, and a bit of teenage romance, Squashed is a novel that celebrates rural life and the unwavering devotion of a young farmer.

Out of the Dust

by Karen Hesse Told. in free-verse poetry of dated entries that span the winter of 1934 to the winter of 1935, 5-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression. The quiet strength displayed by young Billie Jo while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.

The Circuit

by Francisco Jiminez. This series of short stories about the life of a migrant child follows a family through their circuit of work over the year as they move from one labor camp to the next. From picking cotton and strawberries to topping carrots—this book captures the complexity of agriculture production and introduces readers to the people behind the product.

Crosswire

by Dotti Enderle. The cruel Texas drought of 1883 has Jesse and his family in turmoil. Crops are drying out, and desperate free-range cattlemen are cutting fences and trespassing with their thirsty herds, threatening the family's precious water supply. When a lone drifter is hired to help around the farm, Jesse becomes determined to uncover his mysterious secret.

Wolf Hollow

by Lauren Wolk. Annabelle and her family have lived a mostly quiet, steady life on their small Pennsylvania farm. When Annabelle encounters Betty, a new student who proves to be both cruel and manipulative, she must face injustice with courage and kindness. This novel introduces readers to rural living in 1943—harvesting apples, fetching eggs, and raising livestock.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

by Kelly Jones. After inheriting her great uncle's farm (and his most unusual chickens), Sophia and her family move from Los Angeles to rural Northern California. Part instructional manual and part tall tale, this humorous book chronicles the adventures of Sophia as she learns to care for her newly-inherited flock.

Becoming Felix

by Nancy Hope Wilson. JJ's family has been in the dairy business for generations, yet all around them other small farms are going bankrupt. With themes of family and friendship, Becoming Felix examines what it means to choose between two competing dreams. JJ is torn between spending his time playing his grandfather's clarinet, or helping to save the family farm that once belonged to his grandfather.

Seedfolks

by Paul Fleishman In an inner-city neighborhood, a young girl plants a handful of lima beans in an empty lot which soon blossoms into a community garden, tended by a notably diverse group of local residents. Readers may not gain a greater appreciation for gardening, but they will come away understanding that people can work side by side despite different attitudes, skills, and cultural backgrounds.

The Man Who Fed the World

by Leon Hesser. Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize recipient for averting hunger and famine, is credited with saving hundreds of millions of lives from starvation. Beginning with his fieldwork in Mexico during the 1940s, developing strains of disease-resistant wheat, and continuing to transform grain production in Mexico, Pakistan, India, Asia, and Africa.

Bloodvine

by Aris Janigian A dramatic tale of two half-brothers, second generation Armenians, who make decisions about the 40 acres of prime vineyard they inherit. Based on a true story, the author skillfully captures the history of genocide, the migration to the U.S., the embracing of agriculture, and the deep scars that eventually tear the family apart.

The Vineyard

by Idwal Jones. Set in the Napa Valley at the turn of the century, this novel provides a vivid history of winemaking in California. Plucky Alda Pendle is the daughter of a viticulturist. When he dies, leaving her without property, her skills make her indispensable to one of the oldest vineyards in the valley.

The Valley of the Moon

by Jack London. Set in the troubled economic times and labor strikes at the turn of the century, Billy and Saxon Roberts struggle to find success. After much hardship, they leave Oakland and travel through Central and Northern California in search of land they can farm independently. They find land, contentment, and many friends along the way.

Epitaph for a Peach

by David Mas Masumoto. Masumoto is a third-generation Japanese-American peach and grape farmer in California. In this book, he takes readers on a quiet journey through a year in the farming life, including the grueling off-season work of preparing the fields and the near-despair of losing a raisin crop to heavy September rainfall.

Four Seasons in Five Senses

by David Mas Masumoto. In this collection of essays, the author, a peach and raisin farmer, invites readers to consider the farmer behind each piece of food you eat. Masumoto chronicles his life and work on the farm through the seasons as experienced by each of the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

Big Cotton

by Stephen Yafa. A novel that discusses how the cultivation and production of cotton profoundly helped shape human history and impacts the way we live. From the exploitations of Christopher Columbus to impoverished cotton farmers in Mali, Yafa helps readers understand the significance of cotton in the past, present, and future.

The Peach Rebellion

by Wendelin Van Draanen. The Peach Rebellion is a captivating historical tale set in 1936 California. Through vivid depictions of labor-intensive agricultural work, it offers readers a greater appreciation for the toil and dedication required in food production. This moving story showcases the enduring power of friendship as two young girls navigate the complexities of their different backgrounds. A heartfelt narrative that illuminates the bonds that can form amidst the challenges of life in a California orchard.

Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World

by Larry Zuckerman. The Potato tells the story of how a humble vegetable, once regarded as trash food, had as revolutionary an impact on Western history. Using Ireland, England, France, and the United States as examples, Zuckerman shows how daily life from the 1770s until World War I would have been unrecognizable—perhaps impossible—without the potato.