‘First Peas to the Table’ Named Foundation for Agriculture’s Book of the Year

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, January 10, 2016 – The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture presented its ninth annual Book of the Year award to Susan Grigsby for “First Peas to the Table.” In this lighthearted story, a little girl, Maya, and her classmates learn about gardens and peas, as well as Thomas Jefferson’s garden at Monticello.

Grigsby, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri, is the author of three picture books, as well as poetry. She teaches creative writing in schools, museums and nature centers, often integrating the lessons with science, social studies and art.

“I am so happy that, thanks to this recognition from the American Farm Bureau Foundation For Agriculture, more children will have access to ‘First Peas to the Table,’” said Grigsby. “I sometimes help students set up their own school gardens and am always inspired by the sense of wonder that develops as the children discover the infinite number of variables involved in turning one tiny seed into a plant that can feed a family.”

“After reading the agricultural-related correspondence and journals of Thomas Jefferson, I was struck by the passion that he and others had in regards to experimenting to figure out which plants, previously grown on other continents, would grow best in each of the diverse environments spread across the country,” she continued. “I wrote the book to celebrate how every gardener, young and old, learns through experimentation, through failures and success and with a joy for the wonders of nature.”

The Book of the Year award springs from the Foundation’s effort to identify accurate ag books, a collection of nearly 500 books for children, teenagers and adults that accurately cover agricultural topics. Book of the Year selections are educational, help to 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/recommended-pubs.

To accompany the “First Peas to the Table” book, the Foundation has created an educator’s guide and a School Garden Ag Mag. Again this year, the Foundation is offering a Spanish text version of the Ag Mag.

In honor of  Grigsby’s recognition and the host city of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 97th Annual Convention, the book’s publisher, Albert Whitman, has generously donated 100 copies of “First Peas to the Table” to the Orange County library system. In addition, the Foundation is donating $1,000 to the library system.