Thank a Farmer

I received an ARC of “Thank a Farmer” from NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this picture book, written by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Monica Mikai, especially because it focused on farmer appreciation. I received an advance uncorrected proof, but I must make it clear to the publishers: Don’t change anything!

This PB is an extremely well-written book. Gianferrari did an excellent job introducing food production to such a young audience. What I love about this book is that even though the author included a ton of information, Gianferrari didn’t overload her young readers with unnecessary information. That is where the amazing illustrator Mikai comes in.

One of the best ways that I can explain this is by offering one of many examples. One of my favorite of these examples is when the author told children about rice farming. Gianferrari introduced kids to both white rice farming operations **AND** wild rice farming. The author didn’t hammer on about indigenous farmers in the text; that would have been overkill. Instead, Mikai made sure that kids understood that wild rice farming was performed by Native American tribes in the Upper Midwest, using art to convey this. Mikai did a fantastic job of showing a large amount of diversity in this book, including Americans (Euro-Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o Americans), Immigrants, and Migrant Farm Laborers.

What really amazed me about this PB is the fact that the author and illustrator were able to pack in so much information, but did it in a way that didn’t drown their message of thankfulness. For example, they included vegetable and fruit farming, dairy and wool farming, rice (both domesticated and wild), mushroom farming, and even farmers who collect and process maple syrup. However, the author is careful not to include information that might upset children. For example, while she included wool farming, she wisely decided to avoid any discussion of the meat and fish farming industries.

For the first 75% of the book, the author focused on how we should all be grateful, not just to farmers, but also to farm laborers. This is so important, but especially today given society’s racism and discrimination of immigrants—especially migrant laborers. What many people fail to realize is that immigrants are an important and vital part of our society, both culturally and economically. In many respects, one could argue that Americans need immigrants even more than they need us. Although the author never states this in the book, they way that she used simple, lyrical words and the way that the illustrator used art makes it clear how important migrant workers are.

Near the fourth-quarter of the book, the author shifts her focus away from why people should thank farmers to how farmers are thankful for laborers, machines, and even nature (sunlight and bees). But what I really love the best about this book is the fact that the author and illustrator don’t just focus on commercial farming, but include market farmers as well. Although commercial farmers keep America fed, small market gardeners also feed a tremendous amount of people.

How can an author and illustrator team pack so much information into a PB that is only 48 pages? To me, I think it has to be a perfect match of talents: beautiful writing on Gianfarrari’s part, and insightful art on Mikai’s end. I would strongly encourage both of these women to work together on future projects.

At the end of the book, the author provides additional details about some of the crops featured in the book, including vertical gardening and aquaculture. She also has three small sections at the end of the book: Further Reading, Further Viewing (documentaries & virtual farm trips) and Websites. These resources will no doubt be extremely helpful to parents and teachers alike.

I cannot recommend this beautiful and valuable book enough. I really do believe that libraries should include this book in their collection to inspire and educate children and adults alike.

This storybook had such a great cadence to the stanzas. It was filled with onomatopoeia- making it engaging for children. There was so much to look at on every page. The illustrations were well done and there were many ethnicities represented. It was also incredibly educational regarding how our food is grown. The book ended with a small section giving more insight into different food production methods. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

With lots of action and great word choices, Maria Gianferrari reminds us of how complex the life of a farmer is and how hard they work. AND how practically everything we eat can be traced back to farmers raising or growing food. It's a wonderful reminder of how much we depend on people and on our earth for the food that we eat. Thank you, Maria (and also Monica Mikai for your vibrant art), for this reminder. I tend to not think about the origins of all my grocery store and restaurant food items! What a great book for classrooms and for families interested in raising responsible and grateful eaters :>)

Whether for my environmental issue to show sustainability, my career unit to talk about different occupations, or my activism unit, this will be a useful book to show the importance of farming. The text was playful, but informative, the illustrations were fun, and it showed just how reliant we are on farmers to make the world go round.

I enjoyed learning so much about the different ways farmers grow food. Most food groups are represented in this picture book.

I didn't realize that peanuts need to dry in the sun, and that wild rice is harvested differently from "regular" rice. So many interesting facts about how food is planted and harvested!

Don't forget to Thank a Farmer and Farm Workers too!

A must-have for all libraries!!

@monicamikai @MariaGianferrari #ThankAFarmer #ThankAFarmWorker #PictureBooks #SchoolLibraries #SchoolLibrarians #Read #Books #KidLit

This is a beautifully illustrated story about all kinds of different farmers who supply us with the foods we eat every day. From dairy farmers, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, sheep and even maple syrup. I loved that this book showed many different kinds of farmers, from country farmers to city farmers and how hard they work to bring the food to your table.

I will be buying this one for my library. Highly recommend this beautiful picture book.

4 Stars

I received this book from the publisher W. W. Norton & Company, Norton Young Readers and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

This was a perfect little heartfelt story about the importance of farmers. I shared this ARC with my 4 year old and he absolutely loved it. He already loves tractors and farms and this book was perfect for him. He can’t get enough and we have read it quite a few times now. The book shares all the many foods that farmers of all kinds provide for us and our families. We must thank a farmer for everything from veggies to our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to so much more, even our clothes. My son was fascinated by the illustrations and how much he learned about what the farms bring us. I loved the writing and the illustrations that really brought this story to life. I would highly recommend this book to any family with little ones who loves farms. I also highly recommend it to be used in an early childhood or elementary classroom.

This book is in the title. Thank of farmer. It goes through various things that farmers may do and crops they might grow. It covers grains and milk, but also sheep for sweaters and trees for honey and maple syrup. What I particularly like about this, it shows all types of farmers. From big farms in the middle of nowhere to small city farms or hydroponics farms in warehouses and it also shows a variety of farmers. This book is well done and is a great reminder how you need farmers to eat and to live in the world today.