Description
Kids all over the world help collect seeds, weed gardens, milk goats and herd ducks.
From a balcony garden with pots of lettuce to a farm with hundreds of cows, kids can pitch in to bring the best and freshest products to their families' tables—and to market. Loaded with accessible information about the many facets of farming, Down to Earth takes a close look at everything from what an egg carton tells you to why genetic diversity matters—even to kids.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 9 to 12
- Grade:
- 4 to 7
- Reading age:
- 9 to 12
Awards
- Long-listed, Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable Information Book Award
- Short-listed, Young Readers' Choice Book Awards of British Columbia (YRCABC) Red Cedar Book Awards
- Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books
Editorial Reviews
"Packed with facts, colorful photographs, and personal narratives from the author...which adds flavor and authenticity to the text."
— Library Media Connection
"Handsomely designed with many high-quality photographs...This could be useful as an introduction to food sources and the importance of local farms, and could inspire some to try their hand at growing or raising a thing or two."
— Booklist Online
"Well-researched, simply-expressed with supportive photographs...An excellent resource for students learning about the benefits of farming."
— Resource Links
"The writing is good-spirited, not preachy or condescending...and there is enough practical material that nonfarm kids will be able to find fascinating...Informative, varied, entertaining, eye-catching—there's not much more you could ask for of this unaffected piece of work."
— Kirkus Reviews
"[Footprints] feature accessible texts, appealing layouts, and global perspectives...Down to Earth investigates how youngsters help to produce, prepare, and distribute food...Engagingly written...[and] filled with fun facts and well-captioned photos that provide alluring glimpses into different cultures and locales...[An] inviting choice for informing and inspiring curious readers and world citizens."
— School Library Journal
"Connecting kids who may be more used to a supermarket than a farm with the production of their food is a challenge that Tate gamely takes on...Photographs of children all over the world helping with both produce and livestock provides an important piece to the puzzle, as does the dense saturation of interesting facts and typically detailed captions...With well-chosen variety of issues related to food—including genetic diversity, organic farming, food costs, sustenance, staple crops, multiple uses for livestock and their products, breeding, and marketing—the coverage of the book is vast, especially for only 48 pages."
— Reading Today Online
"Packed with information about the many types of food grown and how domestic animals are raised around the world...The most interesting parts that spotlight children, however, are the inserts about the author's farm, Dark Creek Farm...[where] readers learn more personally engaging and specific information about aspects of food production which would favor roles for kids and which young readers could identify with...The greatest value in this book may be to change the perception of young readers still under the illusion that food comes from the nearest grocery store."
— CM Magazine
"Laid out in an attractive manner with eye catching title fonts, subtitles and photographs that will hold the attention of any student...Provides plenty of straightforward information but it also forces students to read between the lines, think like a farmer, and realize the importance and value that farmers around the world possess. It could be used as a resource for a creative activity in which students plan a farm of their own."
— Canadian Teacher
"A book that will help young readers see where their food really comes from, and to show them how other children of the world help run the farms that produce the food they need to live a healthy life."
— Sal's Fiction Addiction blog
