Levar Burton, former host of PBS’ Reading Rainbow, said, “If you’re a reader for life, you’re a learner for life. And if you are a learner for life then you are the definition of what I would consider to be a dangerous individual, which is somebody who doesn’t take someone else’s word for it.”
To help your children become more “dangerous,” a few RAFI staff parents have pulled together their favorite books for little ones touching on ecology, food, and environmental science. These mini-reviews reflect both adults’ and children’s feedback.
In Our Garden
by Pat Zietlow Miller,
illustrated by Melissa Crowton
Penguin Young Readers Group, 2022
A student who has moved to the U.S. from overseas, motivated by her longing for home, starts a rooftop garden with her classmates. The students and their accompanying adults find a way to bring life, food, and a deeper sense of belonging to their school.
“They made a garden in the sky!”
Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard
by Katheen Weidner Zoehfeld,
illustrated by Priscilla Lamont
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012
Even the smallest backyard garden tells a big story about intricate relationships and interdependence. This book reveals how substantial our food system is, and how everything is connected.
“This is connected to that, and that and that and that!”
We are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom,
illustrated by Michaela Goade
Roaring Book Press, 2020
This story highlights the critical threat that industrialization poses to our entire ecosystem, which depends on water to survive. We are called to protect the water not just for our future, but for creatures that cannot speak for themselves.
“I love water… all of it.”
Watercress
by Andrea Wang,
illustrated by Jason Chin
Holiday House, 2021
A meager brassica plant proves to hold great significance for one particular family. We’re reminded over and again that food connects us to the generations who have come before.
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
by Andrea Beaty,
illustrated by David Roberts
Abrams, 2019
An abandoned lot heaped with trash causes problems for Sofia’s family. Determined to make things right for her abuelo, Sofia makes her way through the labyrinth of local government to create a safer, more beautiful place for her community.
A Seed is Sleepy
by Diana Hutts Aston,
illustrated by Sylvia Long
Chronicle Books LLC, 2017
This beautifully illustrated book reveals all the intricacies, secrets, and abilities that seeds contain. Readers will recognize that all plants — fruits, vegetables, grains, and everything in between — are incredibly resilient, and that such resilience starts at the very beginning.
“The seeds drink the water and eat the soil!”
The Old Truck
written and illustrated by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
Norton Young Readers, 2020
The farm, like an old truck, has a life cycle of its own. This is a story about the journey of a farm: from its early thriving years, to a time of rest, and back to a place of growth. It’s a simple, beautiful narrative that emphasizes a time and a place for all things.
“The truck broke down and then grew back to life.”
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
by Kate Messner, illustrated by
Christopher Silas Neal
Chronicle Books LLC, 2015
What lies underneath the soil is just as important, if not more important, than what lies on top. Taking readers through each season, this book shows just how active things are underground. Whether it’s worms fueling the soil or birds picking at pests, all of it is active and integral to thriving plants.
“The garden is like a museum for wasps.”
Justine Post, Director of the Come to the Table program, has worked at the intersection of social justice, food ministries, and local agriculture since 2016. Justine holds a Master of Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School.