Milk doesn't just appear in your refrigerator, nor apples on your kitchen counter. Before we eat, many people must work very hard planting grain, catching fish, tending animals, and filling crates. In this book, vibrantly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, readers find out what must happen before food can get to our table to nourish our bodies and spirits.
"Before We Eat puts a face on farming, letting kids know that their food didn't magically appear in the supermarket, but came to them through the work of real people - a good beginning look at where our food comes from!" - Amy Cotler, author of The Locavore Way and The Farm to School Cookbook
"Before We Eat is a gentle, lovely introduction to good, nutritious, locally grown food and the people who make sure it's there for us. We can all give thanks for that, and for this book." - Anupama Joshi, Executive Director and Co-Founder, National Farm to School Network
"A warm celebration of small farms and the idea that it takes a village to feed a child." - Kirkus
"A wonderful discussion starter." - School Library Journal
"The perfect picture book to tell the story of how our food gets from the farm to our dinner table." - The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
"This year I read (and read and read and read) the board book edition of Before We Eat: From Farm to Table ... We spend a lot of time at our local farm (Small Farm in Stow, Mass.!), and our son Jack loves it. This book replicates the farm-visit experience perfectly. It's replete with all kinds of vehicles, the rhyme is pitch-perfect, the illustrations are perfect for poring over, and it's generally an awesome meditation about the importance of folks who work in all sectors of our food system." - Katie Cunningham, Executive Editor, Candlewick in Publishers Weekly (Children's Publishers Choose Their Favorite Reads of 2022)
Before We Eat, Second Edition, includes additional information about gardening, including "Plant a Garden with Your Kids" and "Make a Seed Tape" from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and a list of resources that will provide more information about gardening as a learning experience.
Awards
Growing Good Kids Excellence in Children's Literature Award
Moonbeam Children's Book Award
First Edition ISBN 978-0-88448-352-6
Second Edition ISBN 978-0-88448-652-7
Before We Eat is also available as a board book!