Farm Bureau: Foundation for Agriculture Announces Book of the Year

HONOLULU, January 9, 2012 – The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture presented its fifth annual “Book of the Year” award to Chris Butterworth for “How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food.”  The book shows young readers how each ingredient made its journey to their lunchbox. Illustrations, by Lucia Gaggiotti, highlight many aspects of farming and include information on food safety and nutrition.

Butterworth, a native of England, is the author of more than 70 nonfiction books for children, covering a diverse range of issues.

“There's always something else to find out about, and writing about a thing is the best way to find out about it,” said Butterworth. “I started writing information books when my own children were little. I couldn't find the sort of book I wanted them to read, so I wrote one of my own.”

This spirit clearly resonates in How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? In the book, Butterworth shows her enthusiasm for food and for instilling in young readers an appreciation for our food’s journey. The book has received numerous accolades. The School Library Journal called it “a great springboard to units on food and nutrition.” The Library Media Connection said, “Results of reading this book include a greater understanding of the farm-to-table methodology.”

The Book of the Year award springs from the foundation’s effort to identify “accurate ag books,” a collection of more than 400 books for children, teenagers and adults that accurately cover agricultural topics. In addition to their accuracy, Book of the Year selections are educational, reflect farmers’ and ranchers’ love for the land and what they do, create positive public perceptions about agriculture, inspire readers to learn more and touch their readers’ lives as well as tell the farmer’s story. The Accurate Ag Books database is available at: http://www.agfoundation.org/.

The foundation has created an educator’s guide and classroom poster as companion pieces to How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? which takes elementary students through various learning activities.

In honor of Butterworth’s recognition and the host city of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2012 Annual Meeting, the foundation has teamed with the book’s publisher, Candlewick Press, to donate hardcover copies of How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? to Jefferson Elementary School near Waikiki and the Hawaii State Public Library System. Additionally, the foundation is making a $1,000 contribution to the library system’s reading program.