Up We Grow!: A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm
Awareness continues to grow about the health and environmental benefits of choosing food that’s been grown locally and sustainably, and this title brings the trendy adult topic to a picture-book audience with a photo-essay about a year on a communal organic farm. Moving chronologically through the seasons, the spreads, illustrated with close-up color photographs, follow a small collective of farmers as they plant and nurture crops, tend to livestock, celebrate their harvest, and plan, during the cold winter months, for the next year. Filled with sensory descriptions, the rhythmic text gives a strong sense of life on the farm and in the field, and direct questions (“What kind of seed would you like to plant?”) create interactive opportunities for adults and kids to talk about each scene together. A final note fills in more detail about the key elements of sustainable agriculture. Pair this with Katie Smith Milway’s The Good Garden (2010), reviewed in this issue. Grades 1-3. --Gillian Engberg