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Book of the Week: Children’s Books

Still looking for stocking stuffer ideas for the young ones in your life? Acres U.S.A. also carries children’s books, for ages ranging from 3 to 10 years old! Below are some suggestions for great gifts for the very young (and young at heart) on your gift list this year:

Garden Buddies

Written by Linda Fritz.
Good for ages 6 and up and beginning independent readers.


Learn about the beneficial animals and insects, or “garden buddies”, that you can find in your garden in this delightfully rhyming book. From hoverflies to shrews, readers can learn about the ecosystems in their own backyard and how these creatures work to help gardeners grow healthy plants. 

Linda Fritz is the owner of Sun Sugar Farms in Verona, Kentucky, where she grows organic edamame and sun sugar cherry tomatoes. In addition to writing and illustrating “Garden Buddies”, Linda has also invented compostable shopping crates and containers to decrease plastic waste and holds degree in marketing design and automotive electrical engineering.

Patrick’s Great Grass Adventure

Written by Rachel and Joel Salatin.
Good for ages 4-7 years or independent readers. 

Bringing pasture-based farming to life, Patrick Pigeon offers his understanding of Greg the Grass Farmer’s activities. This is not the stereotypical farm with red barns, silos, and horses; it’s a fundamentally ecologically sound, land healing outfit to capture the imagination of both children and adults.

Joel Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The farm produces pastured beef, pork, chicken, eggs, turkeys, rabbits, lamb, and ducks, servicing roughly 6,000 families and 50 restaurants in the farm’s bio-region. He has written 11 books to date and lectures around the world on land healing, local feed systems.

Blue Round Earth

Written by Chun Young Lee.
Good for ages 3-7 years or early beginning readers.

Vivid descriptions and inviting illustrations introduce the youngest readers to many of the components that make up our Earth, such as air, water, the water cycle, seasons, and the variety of climates found on Earth. 

Chun Young Lee went to the College of Human Ecology at Yonsei University in South Korea. He has also written “The Car That Can Do Everything Quick and Fast,” “Would the Bread Pop?”, “A Very Special Toto’s Story,” and “The Sea Bream’s Wife with Great Integrity.”

Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse

Written by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton.
Good for ages 5-9 years or independent beginning readers.

As winter comes to an end and spring arrives, Kelsey looks forward to maple syrup season. She helps her daddy tap the sugar maple trees in the woods on their farm. After the buckets are filled with sap, Kelsey works with family and friends to collect the buckets and pour the sap into a holding tank. Then they’re off to the sugarhouse to boil the sap until it becomes syrup. When the first batch is bottled, it’s time to celebrate with a delicious breakfast—pancakes and maple syrup of course!

Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton grew up with woods to wander through. When she and her family moved to an Ohio farm, they discovered that they had enough maple trees for a sugar bush. Sweet family memories are made every spring while tapping, gathering, boiling, and finishing their scrumptious maple syrup. Laurie is the author of over 40 books.

Diabetes and Me

Written by Chase Schmitt.
Good for ages 7-10 or early chapter readers.

Written by a very talented 8-year-old, Diabetes and Me is the story of a kid who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and his journey through treatment and management. Chase Schmitt wrote this book to help other kids who have been newly diagnosed to help them better know what it’s like to live with the disease. As he writes, “We all have our ups and downs, but I would say I have a lot more ups than downs. I have big plans for my future and diabetes will not stop me!”

Chase Schmitt is 8 years old and has Type 1 Diabetes. He was diagnosed at age 6, and while it changed his life in some ways, it never affected his determination. He decided to write a book to help educate people on his condition and to show other kids who have just gotten the diagnosis that they are not alone. 

Fast Farm and Slow Farm

Written by Min Jee Jung.
Good for ages 3-5 years or independent readers.

Through the characters of Grandma Snail – with her small organic farm – and Thump-Thump Giant – with his large, chemical-reliant farm – this book explores the meanings of healthy food. Colorful illustrations will delight young readers, and its ultimate message of kindness imparts a good lesson as well.

Min Jee Jung is a writer for a children’s television program and currently writes fun books for children. She is also the author of “Happiness at Mully’s Circus,” “Babble Wordplay,” and many others.