Companion Resources

Clear, colorful photographs and detailed drawings delve into the sources of our clothes, tablecloths, sheets, towels, and blankets. The authors describe a variety of fibers used to make cloth and how these fibers are collected.

A wagon sits in the sagebrush-covered desert, while herders on horseback move sheep to high summer range. It looks like a scene from the Old West, but it's actually a sight you can see today. Shepherds still live in wagons, tending their flocks in Wyoming and other places in the American West just as they have done for more than a hundred years. From breeding season to lambing season, and shearing in between, this informative text filled with stunning photographs shows how sheep are raised over the course of a year. Use this book as an introduction for examining migrant workers and the importance of their contribution to the American economy or as a background text to provide context to lessons on wool or ranching.

Did you know that the cotton for your jeans was picked from a plant? How did the colorful wool in your sweater get from a sheep’s back to a ball of yarn? Where did your soccer uniform, your rain boots, and your fleece jacket come from? And what does recycling plastic bottles have to do with anything? This book will take you to visit farms, forests, and factories all over the world to find out how everything you wear has a story behind it. The fabrics covered include denim, wool, and synthetics, and suggestions on how to recycle or repurpose old clothes are also provided.

Colorful illustrations and clear text make this an excellent book for introducing young students to key concepts like what each of the four seasons are like and how they are created by the orbiting of Earth around the sun.

From the cranberry bog to the Thanksgiving table, join Sam and his family as they harvest a classic American fruit. When the vines hang heavy with berries that the autumn winds have turned deep red, it's time for cranberries, and Sam is finally old enough to help with the harvest! This charming, lyrical picture book follows Sam and his family as they raise the water in the bog, pick the cranberries, and gather the fruit for processing. It's a story of modern family farming in action, showing readers where their food comes from but mostly delighting them along the way. This book is a great companion to lessons on farming, harvesting, use of machines, Thanksgiving, or cranberries.

Follow the travels of Kailey as this city girl visits a dairy farm to learn where milk comes from. Gather trivia about milk along the way and take a tour of a milk processing plant. This educational story offers a fun way for young people, parents, and teachers to learn more about agriculture. The book, sponsored by the Kansas Farm Bureau, is now available for download from their website as part of an app that comes complete with a host of bonus features and videos.

A star-nosed mole shows off all the different kinds of dirt in his garden, helps us to understand how dirt is formed and what's in it, and points out many of the incredible creatures who live in the dirt. Young readers will learn fascinating scientific information about the different soil layers, or horizons, and find out how the soil that plants grow in differs from the soil that building foundations sit in.

A simple introduction to the beauty and variety of farms from a wheat field in Montana to a rice paddy in Indonesia to the harvesting of seaweed from the ocean, to corn, pigs, and wool on farms around the world. Through simple text and stunning photographs, this book shows how farmers provide the world with food and fiber.

Rise and shine it is market day! This book was developed with fresh vegetables and fruits in mind! The story recounts a family trip to the farmers market through the eyes of a small girl. The setting is southwestern as is the scenery.

A wonderful blend of facts and humor make learning about vegetable gardening fun and easy for children. The wonderful, accurate illustrations guide children through a variety of vegetables and terms from A to Z relating to vegetable gardening.

This book describes the way foods can change, using butter as an example, and shows the steps needed to make heavy cream into butter.

Every day, all over the world children eat together at school. Use this book to help children compare and contrast school lunch in different countries and cultures. Each page has a photograph of a typical lunch along with a detailed description about the menu and what school lunch is like. This book will help your students "visit" school lunch in France, Mexico, Kenya, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Peru, America, and more.