Learning where our food comes from and how it nourishes our bodies are integral to children growing up healthy. Here are some great books to guide that exploration.
Grow! Raise! Catch!: How We Get Our Food by Shelley Rotner
Bright photos of plants, animals, and the people who work to raise them are paired with an accessible text explaining the different kinds of farms that produce our food. Fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, eggs, and fish are represented, with notes on where and how they grow, and what we make from them. Grow! Raise! Catch! offers a breakdown of the farm-to-table process perfect for preschoolers and kindergarten students.
The Farm That Feeds Us: A Year in the Life of an Organic Farm by Nancy Castaldo
Where does our food come from? What role do farms play? What’s it like to be a farmer? Discover how the farmer grows fresh and tasty food for us to eat in a sustainable and natural way.
Our Food: A Healthy Serving of Science and Poems by Grace Lin
Answering questions like “Why are so many vegetables green?”, “What’s the difference between brown bread and white bread?”, and “Why do beans make you gassy?” these cheerful haikus and simple Q&A format make this book a nutritious treat.
Eat Up: An Infographic Exploration of Food by Antonia Banyard
A colorful look at the many surprising and fascinating facts about food. Readers will find answers to a wide range of questions, including: Who grows our food? Where does our meat and fish come from? How does it get to us? What’s the difference between a hybrid and a genetically-modified crop? How do companies advertise to children? Who are the “Big 10” food companies? How much farmland is there across the world? Vibrant illustrations, diagrams, and photos, and small chunks of text make this book ideal for reluctant readers.
See What We Eat!: A First Book of Healthy Eating by Scot Ritchie
Yulee and her four friends are taking a trip to her aunt’s farm to pick apples and make an apple crisp for a potluck harvest dinner. But first, Aunt Sara gives the friends a tour of the whole farm, where they learn what it means to eat balanced meals, why eating local food matters, and all that goes into getting food from farm to table. Who knew there was so much to learn about what we eat?
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Michael Pollan
“What’s for dinner?” seemed like a simple question—until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young readers’ adaptation of Pollan’s famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices.
*Synopses from GoodReads.
