“Even if you don’t have a personal connection to a farm or farmer, you don’t have to depend on advertisements and propaganda to learn how food is produced. You can reach out and learn for yourself — maybe even hands on. ” Diana Prichard, born and raised in Michigan, a hog farmer, ag writer, mom of two daughters, and a wife.
It’s Diana Prichard’s writing that connected me to her. We have never met in person. But I greatly respect her voice and work. It’s unique yet bold. She eloquently connects non-ag audiences to hot farm-to-fork issues like when she took on Chipotle in Lessons in Corporate Greed and Part Two: A World of Pure Imagination, Indeed. She is a small hog farmer that tells her own story but doesn’t just share about herself. She writes about other farmers, farming practices, issues that impact farms and travels internationally to share farm-to-fork insight globally.
In food and farming conversations, we have to cut through the clutter to build trusted relationships and connect the dots to how food is raised, to tell the stories of how farmers care for animals, the stories of multi-generational farms and ranches and the stories that your bacon, milk and eggs aren’t just from a grocery store. A shining example of how Diana is doing this is highlighted this week on her BabyCenter blog post titled, Talking to kids how meat gets to the table. It gives simple and useable tips for busy moms to talk to their kids about where their food comes from.
Diana is an advocate I am proud to know as a woman in agriculture. She is forging her own path with her writing, breaking down barriers and building a name for herself in a circle not just connected to farming but to mainstream media, who want to engage with and learn directly from farmers.
This month Diana kindly sent me four copies of her new children’s book, The Cow in Patrick O’Shanahan’s Kitchen, one for our children and three to giveaway to friends, that’s you. But before I giveaway anything, I need to know it and love it myself.
First I read the book in my kitchen, alone. Then Nathan, my husband, read it to our girls, Anika, age four and Elizabeth, almost age six. Our girls know where a lot of their food comes from and can differentiate dairy cows from beef cows. But this book mesmerized them. There’s a cow in the kitchen. Patrick even has to go to a maple tree to get syrup. The girls loved the realistic and humorous approach that Patrick and his father have on preparing and enjoying their breakfast. We read it again the next night and a few times since.
Any farmer or rancher will be proud of this children’s book.
Any mom or dad will want their children to have a copy.
Grandmas and grandpas will buy it for Christmas and birthday gifts.
Every library should have it on their shelves. I previously have managed the North Dakota Ag in the Classroom program and we purchased agriculture based books for teachers to have their classrooms. This is one I will be personally buying for some teacher friends, for our local school and will be suggesting to farm organizations to purchase for Ag in the Classroom programs.
To enter in this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post with your favorite children’s book and why before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 29th, 2013.
For additional entries, pin a photo of Diana, of her pigs or her book cover to Pinterest, share on this post on Facebook or tweet it. A possible four entries total and let me know in your comment how many entires you have. We operate on the honesty is the best policy around here. I will announce THREE winners on Saturday morning.
Now, I am honored to feature the author behind this exciting new children’s book, Michigan’s Diana Prichard, a woman of agriculture.
What is your role in Agriculture Today?
Stay connected with Diana through her blog, Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Thank you to Diana for connecting a farm-to-fork story through this fabulous new children’s book! I am honored to giveaway three copies.
After you have entered the giveaway, be sure to check out the other women in ag featured so far this month with many more to come. I actually wish November had more days in it. Ok, I don’t. But I am going to continue this on because my email folder “Women In Ag” has many more women to feature with a list of women I haven’t even asked yet.
All Women in Ag features can be found here. While you are thawing your turkey on Wednesday, I have a turkey farmer’s wife to introduce you to. Be sure to subscribe in the right column of this blog to not miss any updates.
For those missing out on everyday Pinke Post happenings, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram.
My favorite children’s book is currently “How Do I Love You?” by P.K. Hallinan. Its a very sweet book for parents but not a tear jerker and its short enough for my almost 2 year old’s attention span! lol
My favorite children’s book would probably be Make Way for Ducklings, simply because our kids loved it so much I had it memorized at one point. However, there are so many others that we loved…..
I have the wonderful privilege of babysitting my 2 y/o niece every Friday afternoon. She loves anything about Mickey Mouse, but her FAVORITE book is one about thanksgiving turkeys
I’m hoping that this will become her new favorite, since she adores cows and knows all of ours by name.
Our favorite book is “the dot” by Peter Reynolds – about making your mark artistically.
My favorite children’s book does not directly relate to ag, but it does encompass my sentimenaments towards it. “LoveYou Forever” is mother’s words to her child, but I share those same feelings towards agriculture….”I like you forever, I’ll love you always, as long as I’m living my livelihood you’ll be”. (maybe I need to trademark that and write my own book..!)
With two little. Ours it it’s impossible to pick a favorite book. However this week the favorite is a Disney Planes story and that is okay with me.
The favorite in our house is “The Busy Red Tractor” we seem to read that book almost ever night along a variety of others.
I love to read out loud…two of my favorites are: Cross Country Cat by Mary Calhoun. And: Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Suess.
My favorite children’s book as a child was strawberry shortcake. My mom said I would read it daily and take it everywhere with me!
Our favorite kids books are, anything Thomas the Train if you ask my son. My daughter loves to bring me Giggle Giggle Quack. She loves to quack!
The hubby sent an email just the other day telling me to order this book & now here you are featuring it!
I have 4 entries.
Thanks Katie!!!!!!
There are so many great children’s books. It’s hard to choose just one. But some of my favorites are the pigeon books by Mo Willems.
My favorite children’s book of all time is Dr Seuss’ “Oh The Places You’ll Go” because I want to communicate to my kids to expect the emotional eb and flow of life’s journey. I want them to be comfortable with the need for determination and aware of their ability to persevere, even when their life journey takes them through failures and dark scary places.
My favorite children’s book will always be Good Night Moon. I received it as a gift from our local United Way when my first child was born six years ago. It still makes it in the weekly rotation of bedtime books for our kids. I will be pinning this book to my ‘Farm and Food Lesson Plans’ Pinterest board http://www.pinterest.com/ezweber/farm-and-food-lessons/
Our favorite book has been Cowboy Small by Lois Lenske. The boys even quote it from time to time. I pinned this book to my Kids Farm Book board and shared on Facebook and Twitter. Happy Thanksgiving!!
I love the Strega Nona series. I read them as a little girl and always enjoyed them. Today they fit my life so well. It is an Italian series and I married into an Italian family. I purchased then for my daughter’s first Christmas. The author lives a few Towns away from me in New Hampshire, but is a Connecticut native, like my husband. I look forward to reading this book by Diana!
I love Strega Nona too!!
Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your series, Katie. Your kind words mean so much to me.
I love to add new books to our library to expand our horizons. I don’t remember the name of the book but my favorite is one I have had since i was young. It is about a young princess who could not see. She gave the biggest, plumpest strawberry to a little boy as a gift because she could feel how beautiful if was. I often think about it! Thanks!
Days on the Farm by Kim Lewis is awesome. It is a series of stories about a farm, the farm kids, and the farm dog. The illustrations are beautiful. My son would always pick this book when I would let him choose his bedtime story.
I love this book! Such a cute story. I have it in my cart to buy but I’m going to wait to see if I can win it. I love giving all agriculture related kids books to my nieces and nephews that live in the city. My favorite kids book was any by Dr. Seuss, Cat in the Hat, Are you my Mother? I remember learning to read with these books. Always had fun reading them out loud.
What a great book idea. Our current faves are “if you give a moose a muffin” and Dr. Seuss “ABC’s”
My absolute favorite book is “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always!” that one will always hold a special place in my heart!