Companion Resources

Visiting the city from her home in the suburbs, an African American girl sees how a few packets of seeds, some helping hands, and hard work transform an empty lot in a housing project into a magical place where vegetables grow and family gathers. It's the magic of nature in the heart of the city! Bernette Ford's autobiographical story is a loving glimpse at a girl, her siblings, and her uncle, and their shared passion for farming. L'il Sissy's fascination with measurement, comparison, and estimation introduces children to STEM concepts. And the progress of Uncle John's garden introduces readers to the life cycle of plants.

The beautiful simplicity of a garden is depicted through digital woodcut illustrations and engaging nonfiction text presented as a series of sweet questions and gentle replies. Less of a traditional how-to and more of a how-to-appreciate, this soothingly sparse text paints an inviting and accessible picture of what a garden offers. And with an all-child cast, the absence of an adult presence empowers readers to view the garden and its creatures through their own eyes, driven by curiosity and wonder.

Explore the celebrations and feasts of twelve countries and cultures from around the world! From South Korea to Nigeria to the USA, come celebrate festivals throughout the year! People around the world are celebrating. In Australia, it's Christmas in summer with barbecues on the beach. In Thailand, they're celebrating Songkran, the famous Buddhist water festival. Rhyming text and graphic illustrations pair perfectly and invite young readers to explore the world through mesmerizing festivals.

Breakfast varies from country to country, but it's how all children begin their day. Explore the meals of twelve countries in this playful approach to the world! From Australia to India to the USA, come travel around the world at dawn. Children everywhere are waking up to breakfast. In Japan, students eat soured soybeans called natto. In Brazil, even kids drink coffee—with lots of milk! With rhythm and rhymes and bold, graphic art, Pancakes to Parathas invites young readers to explore the world through the most important meal of the day.

The scientific voice of the sugar industry, this website offers resources about real sugar from sugar beets and sugar cane with the goal of enhancing consumer understanding and confidence in the role that sugar plays in a nutritious, balanced, and enjoyable diet.

In Pickles to Pittsburgh, the sequel to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Kate drifts off to sleep and, with her brother Henry as her copilot, visits the land of Chewandswallow—a land characterized by massive amounts of food, immense carrots, leafy jungles of lettuce, and tuna fish sandwiches so gigantic they have to be moved by helicopter. And what the people of Chewandswallow are doing with all that food is most intriguing of all!

In Project S.O.W., youth work together to investigate how to grow food, explore their relationship with the land and food system, and practice leadership in their communities. Youth discover the power of food gardening to provide their families and communities with fresh and affordable food, and experience firsthand the resilience, confidence, and connection that this time-honored practice brings. Resources can be paired with school gardening curriculum for ages 13-19.

Soil Life is a website designed to change the way the world looks at soil—digging into what's dirty and calling into question what's clean. This website includes an interactive, graphics-based introduction to soil science, a media hub of soils-related content, and actionable ways to protect and promote soils and life.

Festive feasts from around the world bring people together to celebrate and share stories. A Taste of the World travels across the globe uncovering different dishes, traditions, cultures, and festivals from Egypt to Germany, Hanami in Japan, Chinese New Year, and a good old roast dinner in the UK. A Taste of the World will give you an appetite to explore.

Learn all about a sunflower's life cycle in this book for young students. Simple text and clear pictures make it fun to learn about how sunflower seeds grow from a seed to a flower, how flowers produce seeds, and what sunflower seeds and parts of sunflowers can be used for.

Ms. Frizzle's class takes a trip into a nearby plant to find out what plants eat. Join the gang as they get to the root of the matter and learn all about a plant's private food factory.

Students have the opportunity to taste winter squash in the classroom with this simple slow cooker recipe.