Special Program Review: Agricultural Nonfiction

This fall, I teamed up with a local historic agricultural museum to work with their volunteers to create a STEAM*-based reading program for kids in K4-3rd grade, to introduce them to basic concepts in natural history, agricultural and farm life, and animal husbandry.  We had three programs over the course of the fall, and focused on different topical themes each time.

*Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math

In October we covered harvest and orchards/farm-keeping with "Apples and Pumpkins."
In November we moved on to discussing farm chores and the water cycle with "Pumping Water."
In December we finished with a discussion of farm animals and winter changes "Chickens and Changes."

I'm not going to offer reviews of all of these, but I will specify whether I used them as display/take-home/reference materials (we made bookmarks with the titles listed for the kids to guide later check-outs at the library for further interest or research) or actually read them during the program.  Like my storytime, I tried to present at least three books during each program, and managed to get four read each time, which was gratifying.  

Reading List and Program Books for "Apples and Pumpkins"

During the program, I read the following:
Apple Farmer Annie, by Monica Wellington
Strega Nona's Harvest, by Tomie dePaola
Pumpkin Cat, by Anne Mortimer
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie, by Jill Esbaum.

On display, in addition to those books, I had the following:
Picking Apples and Pumpkins, by Hutchings
Apples and Pumpkins, by Rockwell
The Apple Pie Tree, by Zoe Hall
Apple, by McClure
Pumpkins, by Jacqueline Farmer

Reading List and Program Books for "Pumping Water"

During the program, I read the following: 

It's Fall, by Linda Glaser

The Leaves on the Trees, Thom Wiley

Pilgrim Children Had Many Chores, Lem-Tardif

All the Water in the World, by George Ella Lyon

On display, in addition to those books, I had the following: 

The Water Cycle, by Purslow

How Did That Get to My House? Water, by Masters

How Things Work in the Yard, by Ernst

Historic Communities: Tools and Gadgets, by Kalman

Awesome Autumn, by Bruce Goldstone

Farming, by Gail Gibbons

Tap the Magic Tree, by Matheson

Reading List and Program books for "Chickens and Changes"

Pumpkin Jack, by Will Hubbell

A Chicken Followed Me Home, by Robin Page

Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown

On the Farm, a book of poems, by David Elliot

On display, in addition to those books, I had the following:

Working Animals: Farming, by Martin

Hello, Harvest Moon, by Ralph Fletcher

A Chicken's Life, by Nancy Dickmann

Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert

Fall Leaves, by Loretta Holland

While I'm not going to give specific reviews for all these (mainly because I'm still trying desperately to catch up from all the fall books I have to cover) I do want to give specific recommendations for a few of them:

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie is a delightful nonfiction that would be perfect for a storytime program.  It's clear, beautifully photographed, and short enough for the youngest audiences.  Please use more nonfiction in storytimes and programs: it's really good quality now, and it really begs to be used and brought to caregivers' attentions.

Tap the Magic Tree didn't make the cut as one of the books that I read, because we wanted to focus more on actual naturalist and reality-based representations of nature, but it's a really lovely interactive book in the same vein as the equally delightful but more abstract Press Here, by Herve Tullet.  I really enjoy reading this type of book with a small audience or even one-on-one, and watching the child really feel like they're influencing the outcomes of the page-turns.

Pumpkin Jack is one of the best stories about the circle of death and life that I have ever found, and I will recommend it until I am dead myself.  It's simple, it's sweet without being treacly or maudlin, and it's beautifully illustrated.