Readers To Eaters

01/06/2025

Listen up! So excited to kickoff the New Year with the audiobook release of Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life—the first picture book about a —produced by Live Oak Media, narrated by Eva Kaminksy, with the Afterword read by the book's subject, farmer Eva Sommaripa.

“Packed with deliciousness, this fifth volume in Readers to Eater's Food Heroes series will delight seekers of all ages and inspire future female farmers. Captured in straightforward, descriptive verse, an information-packed biography of Massachusetts microfarmer Eva Sommaripa follows her beginnings as she is inspired by farmer's market herbs through her 50-year journey of growing and sharing gardening love. The subject's entrepreneurial spirit and sense of community are evident as Martin (Snowflake Bentley) brings Eva's garden to life through words; meanwhile, Hale uses subtly toned collage to unwrap the wonders of the environment in and under the garden, inviting children to examine all the little bits of nature scattered throughout. Educators will appreciate the treasure trove of gardening information, which includes an afterword by Eva, an author's note, extensive educational back matter, and additional resources. An all-around inspiring purchase for public-library collections that will spark readers' involvement.” —Booklist

Be sure to check out the entire award-winning audiobook and series from Live Oak Media! https://bit.ly/3Po7kEH



National Farm to School Network Massachusetts Farm to School
Farm to School Podcast
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
National Agriculture in the Classroom
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom
National Environmental Education Foundation - NEEF
National Science Teaching Association
Massachusetts Library Association
Massachusetts School Library Association
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Massachusetts Library Association Youth Services Section

AVAILABLE NOW! This new audio of Readers To Eaters latest book in the Food Heroes series https://www.liveoakmedia.com/Food-Heroes-Series-C1364.aspx
is a perfect springtime listen on a wintery day!
Read by Eva Kaminsky with an afterword read by Eva Somarippa and author's note read by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

01/02/2025

Wishing everyone a year of ahead!

12/31/2024

Wow! June Jo Lee's TED Talk on just passed 500,000 views! See how her work as She decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future. Nice way to kickoff the New Year by exploring new ways to make deep connections with each other!

June Jo co-founded READERS to EATERS and co-authored, with Jacqueline Briggs Martin, the award winning Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix—now in paperback—and Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild, part of our series.

More about her work as food ethnographer, studying American food culture, at https://www.foodethnographer.com/about

Exploring the rich meaning behind what we choose to eat, food ethnographer June Jo Lee unpacks how our "modern hungers" — or our deepest desires and need for connection — inform every bite. She decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future.

12/30/2024

R.I.P President Jimmy Carter. See White House diet during his administration, with interesting look at food trends in the 1970s, broadening palate from Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965—chicken chop suey and egg foo yong!—plus weekend barbecues reflecting his Southern roots.

Adrian Miller looks at home cooking in the Carter White House.

12/27/2024

Big thanks to Betsy Bird for naming Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life among contenders for Evanston Public Library's to “honor children’s literature that strengthens kids’ connections with nature and fosters action for the planet.” Appreciate nice shoutout to Readers To Eaters too!
"A lovely true story of a farmer connected to the microbes under the soil and the people she provides with good food. I always like the Readers to Eaters books, which very specifically focus on the relationship between gardening, the Earth, and the food we eat in a sustainable way."

Look for the coming this January from Live Oak Media!


National Agriculture in the Classroom
National Farm to School Network
National Science Teaching Association
National Environmental Education Foundation - NEEF
California STEM Network National Park Foundation
Conservation Nation Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center
The Outdoor Learning School & Store Shelburne Farms
Life Lab Junior Master Gardener Program
Farm to School Podcast Massachusetts Farm to School
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom

The Blueberry Awards are given to,

12/24/2024

Happy Holidays!

Sharing this image by artist Hayelin Choi, inspired by her illustration in Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. 2025 marks the 30 anniversary of The Edible Schoolyard Project, which Alice founded to promote . See her Afterword on what she learned from ESY and her pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, , which she founded more than 50 years ago.

“A fine introduction to units on nutrition, healthy eating, and creative people making positive change.”
—“Starred” Review, School Library Journal
https://bit.ly/3oPz2Aq

Alice is the 2024 recipient of the Julia Child Award, presented to an individual (or team) who has made a profound and significant difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks.


Edible Schoolyard NYC Edible Schoolyard New Orleans
Slow Food USA Slow Food East Bay Slow Food Sacramento
Food Literacy Center Ecology Center Shelburne Farms
Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore Omnivore Books
Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California
California School Library Association
California Library Association
Berkeley Public Library Berkeleyside
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC)

12/23/2024

Last minute gift ideas? Check out these for the young reader and eater, including Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life! https://bit.ly/407Ny6J
"Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life inspires children to think about the creatures, microbes, and tangles of roots thriving in the soils under everyone’s feet. And it celebrates the beauty of caring for the land."

These children's books celebrate diverse foodways and farming practices from around the world to inspire curiosity in young eaters.

12/23/2024

Looking for fun activities with the family this holiday season? Check out this fun list of Winter "Boredom Busters" form The Children's Book Council, including Bread Lab and Sandor Katz and the Tiny, with recipes to make sourdough bread and "krautchi"—a combination of sauerkraut and kimchi. Good ways to introduce young readers and eaters to fermentation and food science. https://bit.ly/4fwX73q



The Family Dinner Project Pilot Light Common Threads
The Edible Schoolyard Project Food Literacy Center

12/18/2024

Publishers Weekly on "Children's Publishers Choose Their Favorite Reads of 2024." Big thanks to Liz Szabla for the nice shoutout to Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life"A beautiful ode to working—and loving—the land." https://bit.ly/3ZVXCiZ

• Hear Q&A with author Jacqueline Briggs Martin —who grew up in a dairy farm in New England—and illustrator Christy Hale— discuss the book's creation with TeachingBooks. https://bit.ly/3VSvIkS



National Agriculture in the Classroom
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculturel
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom
National Environmental Education Foundation - NEEF
National Science Teaching Association
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
Massachusetts Farm to School
Massachusetts School Library Association
FoodCorps Life Lab Live Oak Media
The Female Farmer Project KidsGardening.org
Publishers Group West Publisher Spotlight

12/09/2024

So fun to record session with Farm to School Podcast last week with hosts Rick Sherman, Farm to Child Nutrition Program Manager at the Oregon Department of Education, and Michelle Markesteyn, Farm to School Specialist at Oregon State University Extension. They also recorded another session with author Katherine Pryor (Sylvia's Spinach, Zora's Zucchini). Big thanks on the shoutout on and how we tell stories about food.

Look for our episodes late winter/early spring. But sign up for their podcast now and hear their terrific conversations with wonderful experts. It's among our regular listen! https://bit.ly/4fa8RbO

12/09/2024

Check out this terrific roundup children's from Food Tank, with a nice shoutout to Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life:
"Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life inspires children to think about the creatures, microbes, and tangles of roots thriving in the soils under everyone’s feet. And it celebrates the beauty of caring for the land."

FARMER EVA is the first children's book about a woman farmer, which was not counted by the USDA Census till 2002. The book is Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom's inaugural 2024. https://bit.ly/4iDFphE
See the curriculum matrix from @ National Agriculture in the Classroom. https://bit.ly/3RZvjMd

These children's books celebrate diverse foodways and farming practices from around the world to inspire curiosity in young eaters.

12/05/2024

Love this! Big thanks to Pilot Light for sharing Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild with teachers to explore cross cultural connections through food! Love this comment:
"I really appreciated the thoughtful inclusion of a picture book featuring queer representation—it made the session feel especially affirming and enjoyable."

See co-author June Jo Lee's TED Talk sharing her work as food ethnographer and how our — or our deepest desires and need for connection — inform every bite. She also decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future. Now with nearly 460,000 views! https://bit.ly/3VqqoWa

12/02/2024

Nearly 440,000 views! See new TED Talk with June Jo Lee—Food Ethnographer, author, and Readers To Eaters's co-founder—unpacks how our "modern hungers"—or our deepest desires and need for connection—inform every bite. She decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future.
"My approach is simple. I ask, 'What’s delicious to you? What feeds your life?'"

Check out her books Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild and Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix, both co-written with Jacqueline Briggs Martin. CHEF ROY CHOI is just out in paperback. Also available in Spanish. Hear the audiobooks from Live Oak Media.

More on June Jo's work as at https://www.foodethnographer.com/about

Exploring the rich meaning behind what we choose to eat, food ethnographer June Jo Lee unpacks how our "modern hungers" — or our deepest desires and need for connection — inform every bite. She decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future.

12/02/2024

Perfect pairing indeed!
Thanks to Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom for the shoutout to Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table. Here's additional activities from National Agriculture in the Classroom curriculum matrix: https://agclassroom.org//matrix/resource/905/

11/30/2024

Last day to help us vote for Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life as People's Choice for The Readable Feast, honoring New England cookbook and food writing. FARMER EVA is the only book for young readers among this terrific list of . We'd love to have your vote @ https://bit.ly/3V9n2XF. Deadline is 12/1.

Farmer Eva Sommaripa, is a pioneering farmer who started Eva's Garden more than 50 years ago in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. She has introduced culinary herbs, greens, flowers, and will foraged goods to Boston area chefs and eaters. In 2014, she became the first farmer to receive Wellesley College's prestigious Alumnae Achievement Award. Eva and her farm is the subject of the book, WILD FLAVORS, written by chef Didi Emmons.

FARMER EVA is the first children's book about a woman farmer and is selected by Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom in 2024 and Maine Agriculture in the Classroom in 2025.

11/27/2024

Just out today! See TEDTalk with June Jo Lee—Food ethnographer, author, and Readers To Eaters's co-founder—unpacks how our "modern hungers"—or our deepest desires and need for connection—inform every bite. She decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future.
"My approach is simple. I ask, 'What’s delicious to you? What feeds your life?'"

Check out her books Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild and Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix, both co-written with Jacqueline Briggs Martin. CHEF ROY CHOI is just out in paperback. Also available in Spanish. Both books are also available in audiobook edition from Live Oak Media

More on June Jo's work as at https://www.foodethnographer.com/about

Exploring the rich meaning behind what we choose to eat, food ethnographer June Jo Lee unpacks how our "modern hungers" — or our deepest desires and need for connection — inform every bite. She decodes what Gen Z's palate says about the present moment and the shape of the future.

11/26/2024

Wonderful to see Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program at Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services (WA) introducing young readers and eaters to eating vegetables with stories such as Sylvia's Spinach and Zora's Zucchini!

Big thanks to County's Public Health Nurse, Stacy Wynn, and also WIC @ Washington State Department of Health, who has been partnering with us for years to connect nutrition education and early literacy. It was that helped launch our Spanish publishing program with SYLVIA and ZORA, since about a third of the WIC families are Spanish speaking. It is especially gratifying since author Katherine Pryor herself grew up in a WIC household.

We now partner with many WIC programs across the country, setting up local literacy partners such as libraries. Contact us for more info.


Washington State Farmers Market Association
WSU Extension Snohomish County SNAP-Ed
WSU Whatcom County Extension SNAP-Ed
Washington Food Coalition National WIC Association
Oregon WIC California WIC Association
WIC Association of New York State

"Together we pull hemlock branches from the salty ocean, heavy with herring eggs like tiny stars," Stacy Wynn read aloud. In the downstairs of the Pioneer Community Center last week, parents and children gathered as they do every Wednesday for Cathlamet Public Library story time. As the County's Pub...