Published: August 10, 2010

New Picture Book Helps Kids Connect to the Land

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CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- A bold new picture book helps young children understand sustainable, organic farming, eating locally, and environmental stewardship by speaking to kids' natural affinity for animals and growing things. The importance of local farms and caring for the land are the down-to-earth values found in Up We Grow!: A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm (Kids Can Press).

Up We Grow! helps kids make the vital connection between farming and their everyday lives. The book depicts farming as a series of mindful and social acts, with plenty of hard work, but also time to celebrate the accomplishment of a successful harvest. It not only shows how food is grown on a farm and how it ends up on the table, it also demonstrates the intimate relationships between food, nature, and the human community.

As they're shown through the seasons at a small, community-based farm, young readers are prompted to think about how they care for their own animals, which job on a farm they'd like best, or whether they prefer honey drizzled on flapjacks or baked in a cake. Kids see people of all ages and abilities working together to grow and share food, while protecting and respecting the land and animals. Along the way, readers learn about where food comes from, life cycles, how plants and animals grow, and the natural rhythm of the seasons.

Award-winning author Deborah Hodge is a former teacher and curriculum writer who enjoys shopping at her local farmers' market. Brian Harris is an award-winning photographer whose work champions the cause of sustainable living.

SOURCE Kids Can Press