Companion Resources

Planters and Cultivators introduces children to the world of modern farming and the specialized equipment that is used on the farm for cultivating, planting and spraying crops. This book is filled with colorful action photographs, fun illustrations and a cast of cartoon equipment characters. As a companion to lessons about soil composition and soil nutrients, students will learn why and when these tools are used to manage and improve crop health and growth.

Big Tractors introduces children to the world of modern farming, showing how the biggest, most powerful tractors handle the demanding jobs of pulling and powering on the farm. This book is filled with colorful action photography, fun illustrations and a cast of cartoon equipment characters. As a companion to lessons on tools and machines, students can follow the timeline of the tractor from the time of using horses to pull equipment to the present-day use of tractors to perform work.

A Year on the Farm introduces children to the world of modern farming, showing the tractors, combines and other equipment used from season to season. As a companion to lessons about machines or seasons children will learn how tasks vary from season to season and how machines make farm work easier and more efficient.

Combines introduces children to the world of modern farm equipment- showing how the most complex machines on the farm work to harvest crops. This book is filled with colorful action photographs, fun illustrations and a cast of cartoon equipment characters. Students can follow the timeline of harvesting equipment from the sickle to the mechanical reaper, international harvester, and eventually the modern-day combine. As a companion to lessons on grain crops such as corn and wheat, students will learn the process of harvesting these crops.

From late summer to Thanksgiving, pumpkins are everywhere, a symbol of fall and a reminder of the holidays to come. In this book, Ken Robbins portrays the pumpkin from seed, to sprout, to flower, to fully fledged fruit, and back again. Instructions are given to (safely) carve a jack-o’-lantern.

On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?

Maria and her family visit an apple orchard and pick apples in preparation to turn the apples into applesauce! Every year they use the special pot that has been in the family for generations to make applesauce. First they wash the apples. Then Grandma cuts them into quarters. Follow each step in the process as everyone helps to make delicious applesauce!

"I told my three sons stories about germs more than fifty years ago as fanciful bedtime tales." So begins this charming collection of poems written by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Arthur Kornberg to help us learn about the germs that help and harm us. These rollicking, entertaining, and informative poems have been illustrated with witty and amusing watercolors and the book also contains electron micrographs and a glossary for the student who wants to go deeper into the world of microbiology.

Agronomy Grow with It! explores the science of agriculture. Agronomy is the science we use to grow the crops that feed us, feed our livestock, and even fuel our cars. It's a science that tackles the big challenge of our future: How can we grow enough food to end world hunger and, at the same time, adapt to a changing climate and protect our environment? This book introduces you to 20 real agronomists who face that challenge every day.

Back in the 1830s, who was a young blacksmith from Vermont, about to make his mark on American history? John Deere, that's who! This illustrated biography tells the story of John Deere and his contributions to agriculture. Learn how John Deere invented a steel plow and changed farming forever.

This the story of two feuding hens who lose all but one egg to a weasel that sneaks in while they're busy squabbling. Now they really have something to fight about. Whose is the egg that's left? Will friendship triumph over vanity? Use this book to engage young students before a lesson on chickens, eggs, or embryology.

Unlike the other hens at Little Pond Farm, Tillie isn’t one to wait her turn to lay her eggs. And she’s certainly not one to stay cooped up all day. Off she goes! Author Terry Golson and photographer Ben Fink invite you to join Tillie on her first eggs-straordinary adventure. Come along as she explores the cozy world of Little Pond Farm—and lays her eggs in the unlikeliest of places! This book is perfect for engaging young students.