Companion Resources

How do plants grow? Explore the journey from seed to sapling and beyond. Children have lots of questions about the world around them, and this book helps them discover many amazing and wonderful scientific facts about nature. The charming collage-effect illustrations are inspired by farms and scenery that the illustrator sees around her home in New Hampshire. Lively texts engage children and make this book a favorite to return to again and again. There are also Notes to Parents and Teachers at the end to encourage further exploration and learning.

John Deere’s farm equipment brand is famous around the world, but people may not know the story behind the man himself. Deere's humble blacksmith beginnings and a simple plow eventually led to massive success, but it wasn’t easy. The story behind the name will give readers new appreciation for the popular green tractors and equipment around today.

Alongside his grandpa, a young boy shares the tasks involved in making maple syrup the old-fashioned way. From tapping the trees to boiling the sap, the two spend many hours working side by side in the woods. Their reward is a delicious breakfast of pancakes and the best syrup in the whole world.

This beautifully illustrated and descriptive book gives students insight to farm life through the seasons. Farmers plant, harvest, and store crops using a variety of farm machinery. The children living on the farm help plant a vegetable garden and feed the cows and chickens. Some of the harsh realities of farm life are honestly depicted – weather challenges, hard work, and a rooster that disappears. The story's farm animals and children will capture the attention of students as they explore life on a farm.

A young girl sets her mind to creating the most magnificent thing! She has the plans in her head, gathers all the necessary materials, and builds her first prototype. However, her invention is not exactly what she had planned, and after repeated attempts at making her invention "magnificent," she quits. Her pet dog convinces her to walk away, and when she returns she tackles her project with renewed enthusiasm and conviction. The result—the most magnificent thing! This is a fun, educational look at the engineering design process.

Will Allen is no ordinary farmer. A former basketball star, he's as tall as a truck, and he can hold a cabbage—or a basketball—in one hand. But what is most special about Farmer Will is that he can see what others can't see. When he looked at an abandoned city lot in Milwaukee, he saw a huge table, big enough to feed the whole world. No space? No problem. Poor soil? There's a solution. Need help? Found it. Farmer Will is a genius in solving problems. Jacqueline Briggs Martin tells the inspiring story of an innovator, educator, and community leader.

Harvesting Friends, Cosechando Amigos is a story about a garden that grows more than its garden vegetables; it grows friendships! Come meet young Lupe and her new friend Antonio as they meet in an unexpected way and grow their friendship to include their neighbors and friends of all ages.

Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate's fascinating history. Along the way, you'll meet colorful characters like the feathered-serpent god Quentzalcoatl, who gave chocolate trees to the Aztecs; Henri Nestlé, who invented milk chocolate while trying to save the lives of babies who couldn't nurse; and the quarrelsome Mars family, who split into two warring factions, one selling Milky Way, Snickers, and 3 Musketeers, the other Mars Bars and M&M's. From its origin as the sacred, bitter drink of South American rulers to the the familiar candy bars sold by today's multimillion dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world's favorite flavor.

Pull up a chair and dig in! Popcorn! is chock-full of tidbits about one of America's favorite snack foods. Learn what makes popcorn pop, how Native Americans liked their popcorn, and how television almost wiped out popcorn's future. Cooking tips, recipes, and resources included.

Brothers Tiny and Tony are hungry for a snack, and their mother allows them to make some popcorn. The two boys learn about the history of popcorn in the Americas, how much popcorn is eaten on an annual basis, and methods of popping corn. Two recipes to pop corn are included in this book.

When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe!

This graphic novel tells the story of how Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, and the effects it had on the Southern United States.