Seed, Soil, Sun: Earth's Recipe for Food

by Cris Peterson, David R. Lundquist (Photographer)

Overview

Seed. Soil. Sun. With these simple ingredients, nature creates our food. Noted author Cris Peterson brings both wonder and clarity to the subject of agriculture, celebrating the cycle of growth, harvest, and renewal in this American Farm Bureau Foundation's Agriculture Book of the Year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590789476
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	141,171
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD1050L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cris Peterson is the author of ten books for children and has been honored by dairy and agricultural organizations across the U.S. She was named National Dairy Woman of the Year at the World Dairy Expo in 2004. Ms. Peterson and her family run a dairy farm in Grantsburg, Wisconsin.

David Lundquist is the photographer of Fantastic Farm Machines and Clarabelle: Making Milk and So Much More. His work has won numerous national awards and international recognition. Mr. Lundquist lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

"A sturdy addition for its graceful language and cheery pictures." —Kirkus Reviews

"A standout in a widely covered field." —School Library Journal

"A wonderful resource for science classes studying plants or farms of food, this volume makes the cycle of growth readily understandable. Bibliography." —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

For kids who think food comes from the supermarket, this direct guide to how plants grow should set them straight: "When you eat lettuce, you are eating a leaf. When you eat celery, you are eating a stem." Peterson explains how most food comes from seeds, which--thanks to nutrients from soil and energy from the sun--grow into fruits and vegetables. Lundquist's color photographs (many of which feature children getting in on the action of planting, harvesting, and eating) may have kids considering an attempt at growing their own food. Ages 4–7. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1–3—This introduction to how seeds become food is a standout in a widely covered field. Clearly written in simple language, the narrative is often poetic as the growth of seeds planted in soil, watered by rain, and powered by the sun is explained. The photographs throughout are crisp and vibrant. The close-ups are stunning, from the fragile-looking leaf breaking through impenetrable-looking dirt clods to the fuzzy hairs of brand-new leaves, backlit by the sun. The transformation of a corn seed that can be held between a child's fingers into a mature plant that the child needs to stand on a step ladder to reach is succinctly accomplished in one paragraph and three photographs. The partnership of farmers and seeds, soil and sun is highlighted in this accessible explanation of this agricultural cycle.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

School Library Journal

Peterson, a Wisconsin dairy farmer, adds another title to a barnful of agricultural nonfiction for kids. The unadorned narrative describes the effects of rain, sunshine and the teeming microorganisms in soil on germination and growth. "Part of the seed—the root—grows down into the soil. Another part of the seed—the shoot—reaches for the sun." Earthworms get their due praise for "eating debris and discharging it as a rich natural fertilizer called castings." Lundquist, a corporate photographer specializing in agricultural co-ops, supplies ample pictures that, while clear and colorful, sometimes look stock. In contrast, a spring cornfield looks muzzy, almost pointillist—out of sync with other photos. Corn—the staple of Midwest monoculture—supplies much of the verbal and pictorial fodder, and feedlot cows garner a couple of photo ops because they eat plants. A sturdy addition for its graceful language and cheery pictures, but its mind-set is more Big Ag than Michael Pollan. (further reading, sources) (Nonfiction. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews