Sustainable food books for Read Across America

Give children some food for thought and celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss while you're at it.

Tue, Mar 02 2010 at 10:47 AM EST

photo: verago/Picasa Web

Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. All across the country schools are celebrating Read Across America in honor of his birth. My 7-year-old left for school today dressed in red, white and black (Cat in the Hat colors), and he had a backpack overflowing with Dr. Seuss books.

I think Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is the perfect environmental introduction for kids. It’s so beautifully written and the message is so clear.

UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.

I doubt any of the below books will ever be elevated to the level of The Lorax in perfection, but they may introduce or further a child's education on the importance of good, whole, sustainable foods that are important for their health and important to their environment.

Suggestions for younger readers:

Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition: An introduction for early grade schoolers about the right kinds of foods to eat for health. While it doesn’t address sustainable food systems, it sets the stage for learning about whole, real foods.
Tractor Mac Farmer’s Market: One in a series of books about Tractor Mac, a hard-working farm tractor. In this book, Tractor Mac teaches two junk food-loving pigs about how changing the way they eat can help them and help the local farmers.
The Vegetables We EatL Gardens, farms and supermarkets all have a place in this book about eating and growing vegetables.

For older readers

The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids – Michael Pollan’s best-selling book has been simplified for kids. The book is recommended for ages 7-12, but many of the adult reviewers on Amazon said it’s also a good starter book for adults who are just beginning to learn about our complex food system.
Growing and Eating Green: Careers in Farming, Producing, and Marketing Food: This book looks at careers in the sustainable food industry from growing to selling the food.
Planting the Seed: An introduction for middle school children to eco-friendly gardening, organic pest control, heirloom plants and community gardens.