In honor of New York’s Agricultural Literacy week, PFP is once again doing a whole month of Ag Literacy visits to elementary school classes to read a book and prepare a Rainbow Potato Salad together! The program is a celebration of New York agriculture, with the 2020 selection, Right This Very Minute by Lisl H. Detlefsen, students will explore the journey food takes from the farmers working to harvest it, all the way to their plates. They see apple trees, a cranberry bog, a sugarbush, vegetable farms with potatoes and lettuce, and more as they trace each meal featured in the story.
Thousands of books will be donated across the state as volunteers visit classrooms and talk with students about where their food comes from and how farming is important to their community and state. Check out the full lesson info and other resources from New York Ag in the Classroom.
In the spirit of agriculture literacy, here are our staff picks for our favorite Ag themed books this year, with everything from children’s books to an adult cookbook! Tell us about your recommendations for adding to our collection.
Kathryn, Farm to School Manager
The Thing About Bees by Shabazz Larkin
“I love The Thing About Beesbecause not only are the illustrations beautiful and colorful, but the story is both spirited in it’s rhymes and all about the connection between foods we love and bees that children often fear! The author writes a sweet love letter to bees and the audience that has a potent and timely message about these important pollinators.”
Sonya Joy, Garden Educator and Community Engagement Manager
My Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A Cabrera
“This book is soul food for young black femmes! The language and vibrant illustrations enliven and gently encourage the reader to cultivate a healthy relationship to human body and earth body. I identify with both of the main characters. Mack, a child internalizing racism and craving self-love; and Miss Tillie, who shelters Mack with nurturing force, shares wisdom and creates beautiful green spaces for reflection and resilience. 'I weed out all the opinions that have no place in my garden. It's too curly. Pull it back. Straighten it. Cut it off. My hair is a garden, and I give it love.”
Laura, Teen and Young Adult Program Coordinator
¿De Dónde Eres? By Yamile Saied Méndez
“The book ¿De Donde Eres? or Where are you from? is a favorite of those we have at PFP. We have students from so many different places and often one parent is from one place, another is from a different one, and then they were born somewhere and moved elsewhere! I really love how the book is not about finding a particular place for an answer but the answer is we are from 'Al amor, Y del amor de todes los que existieron antes de nosotros' 'you are from love, and the love of those that existed before us' I also really enjoy the beauty and diversity of the places in Latin America that are featured in the book and can show kids the beauty and magic of South America.”
Kitana, Assistant Garden Educator
The Bad Seed by Jory John
“The Bad Seed relates to all ages, and everyone's life. When the seed realizes that his actions make him unwanted and unfavored by others, he begins to morph into a good seed. I love the message that it's okay to make mistakes while you're growing because that is exactly what a kid needs to hear!”
Chris, After School Program Coordinator
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
“I didn't read The Lorax as a child and the first time I really became aware of the book was when I heard a fellow educator read it aloud to a group of students. I was immediately taken aback by the seriousness of the story - the pictures look bright and childlike but the story itself is about big concepts like corporate greed and environmental degradation and the importance of biodiversity. Kids want to be taken seriously and they can handle learning about more mature content than adults often give them credit for. The Lorax is a book that always reminds me of that fact.”
Larissa, Garden Educator
Farmer Will Allen and The Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
“I really liked this book from the moment I read the first page. It reminded me of my own family in regards to not having much. But we always made room for food and people from all over. I loved how he was a professional basketball player and then came back to growing things. The illustrations are wonderful too. The different expressions and faces of the people illustrated in the book have so much diversity. I loved the growth Will Allen made and the brainstorming he did in order to make a difference in his community. There's so much to learn from this book.”
Jamie, Education Director
Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito
“This biography shares an important example of both the role of food and ordinary people in the civil rights movement. Students get to see the impact of a group of women doing what they could behind the scenes to support the movement.”
Kate, Office Manager
Bounty From The Box - The CSA Farm Cookbook by Mi Ae Lipe
“I love the information and format of this cookbook because it breaks down the vegetables in simple paragraphs, from history, to trimming and cleaning, to a variety of cooking methods that are easy to follow - especially when it is a NEW vegetable to me. I feel empowered to break out of my routine recipes that I have been cooking for years and venturing out into new territory of delicious and nutritious foods. We at PFP are fortunate to have such wonderful choices of freshly grown vegetables as our starting place when making a meal or eating a snack!”
Kira, Education Intern
Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Falwell
“Rainbow Stew is always really fun to read with kids, especially right after a farm tour. They notice the same vegetables in the story that they just saw in real life on the farm, and they get so excited at the end when we tell them that they're about to help make their own rainbow stew.”
Lauren, Assistant Farm Manager
A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki
“I am so inspired by the work of George Washington Carver, who shows that a weed can be so much more than a weed, and that we are all capable of blooming. I love how this book by Aliki brings the spirit of this prominent scientist, environmentalist, and humanist to young readers.”