First Peas to the Table

Gr 1–3—Shakayla and Maya learn that this year's class garden project will be a contest to see who can plant peas and bring in the first bowl of shelled peas. The contest originated with Thomas Jefferson among his fellow Virginia farmers, and both girls have great plans to win the competition. This beautifully illustrated story has a mixture of both fiction and facts about the life cycle of peas. Readers learn how the growing process has not really changed since Jefferson's day. Vivid watercolor artwork documents it, beginning with packets of seed and proceeding to planting, watering, staking, and the crowning of the contest winner. The vibrant front and back pages summarize the progress, and an afterword tells more about Jefferson's interest in agriculture. Teachers will find a multitude of ways to use this book and this team's In the Garden with Dr. Carver (Albert Whitman, 2010).—Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN