My Family's Soybean Farm

by Katie Olthoff, Joe Hox (Illustrations)

Meet Alexander and Charlie - the farm boy and his helpful dog who narrate the busy life of a modern, working soybean farm in this fun and informative picture book about a family growing one of the top crops of American agriculture The busy days and many jobs of a farm family, the life cycle of a soybean plant, and its life as a crop getting to market are all detailed in My Family’s Soybean Farm , a picture book on what it takes to grow soybeans, and how the crop becomes the many products we use every day. Each spread walks readers through the many steps of planting and growing the crop throughout the seasons, with extensive text features placed beside the story offering range of additional information for readers, from STEM concepts to illustrations of farm equipment, diagrams, and more. The family’s working together is highlighted throughout, across traditional roles and with modern-day Alexander watches as Mom drives the tractor in a modern cab complete with GPS technology, and later, he and Dad check the crop both with age-old techniques like walking the fields (“crop scouting”) and by using the latest drone technology, too. Detailed drawings show the life cycle of the soybean crop, as well as diagrams on larger concepts, like how soybeans are alternated with corn for soil preservation. Illustrations and information about literally every farm vehicle and other vehicles involved in growing soybeans and getting them to market are also here – including tractor and planter, sprayer, wagons and grain bins, processors, and finally, even barges and trains to get the crops to markets both domestic and around the world. Spreads also show how soybeans are used in a range of products, from Charlie’s bowl of dog food, to foods like soy sauce, feed for farm animals, and more. About the Feeding Minds Press is a project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture whose mission is to build awareness and understanding of agriculture through education. We focus on helping young readers understand where their food comes from, who grows it, and how it gets to them and believe in cultivating curiosity about food and farming and how agriculture plays a role in our daily lives. All books from Feeding Minds Press have accompanying lessons, activities, and videos to further learning available on their website,www.feedingmindspress.com.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2021

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from the Feeding Minds Press through SLJ Picture Book Palooza.
Readers get a first hand look at how soybeans are grown. Alexander takes readers on a tour of his family's farm and shares facts and other information throughout the narration. The illustrations and photos offer an up close look as Alexander tells his story. Well thought out by Olthoff. Even those who have never seen a farm will feel like they've been part of action on this soybean farm.

[Jennifer Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! I've been looking for more meaningful real-life stories for my agriculture accurate library and this is just excellently done! I feel the cartoon like people and dog make the book fun for kids and the true-life images give a good interpretation of what farm equipment and plants really look like.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great non-fiction book for young readers describing how soybeans grow and harvested on a farm. It also briefly discusses the importance of crop rotation. I received an electronic arc of this book from the publisher and can’t wait to share the actual book with my younger students.

[Janna Odenthal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was amazing! I am definitely in the dark ages in regards to farming. I had no idea how advanced it's become! Great book!

[Jennifer]

I received an eSample courtesy of Feeding Minds Press.