WOW Dozen: Growing, Producing and Distributing Food
Where does our food come from? Where does it grow, who labors to produce it and how does it get onto our plates? As the world has become more globalized and urban, many people have lost touch with where our food comes from. Our daily diet used to be deeply connected to locally grown, seasonal food but with the advent of quick, relatively cheap global shipping we can now get many foods any time we want, even when doing so requires moving food products across countries and continents. And with grocery stores filled with packaged and prepared foods, it becomes more difficult to connect what’s on our plate with what originated in fields, farms and ranches.
As daily life becomes increasingly separated from the realities of food production, it also becomes easier overlook the labor that it requires. Farmers, ranchers and fieldworkers put in intense physical labor. Even community and home gardens require significant work to produce the food we eat. This food, then, is distributed to people in many ways, from communities sharing resources to items available for purchase in markets and stores, food trucks and restaurants.
Of course, food is a fundamental requirement of life. It is also deeply connected to culture, history and community. In this WOW Dozen I share fiction and nonfiction picturebooks that can help children think about growing, producing and distributing food around the world. There are far more great books on this topic than can fit on this list. Add your favorites in the comments!
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One man and a group of schoolchildren turn a trash-filled vacant lot in Harlem into a community garden. | Image
On a visit to the food pantry, Molly reassures another child that there’s no shame in getting food there because everyone needs help sometimes. | Image
A proud son describes his father’s difficult job as a farmworker and the sacrifices the father makes for his family. |
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This nonfiction book explores the fascinating origins and history of common spices and flavorings. | Image
Community ties are emphasized in this story about a African American grandfather and grandson who sell their crops at the farmer’s market every Saturday. | Image
A girl from one of the indigenous tribes of Taiwan learns about the connections between nature, food, and identity in this multilingual story. |
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Children in a Japanese city admire the soba noodle deliverymen on bicycles who balance high towers of food as they get food to hungry customers. | Image
When Ali visits his grandfather in Palestine he learns about the process of harvesting olives and turning them into oil. | Image
Agricultural scientist Alberto Salas explores the mountains of Peru to locate and preserve rare potato varietals before they go extinct. |
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When a girl heads to the market to buy meat, she encounters community members who provide other ingredients for her mother’s wonton soup. | Image
A Palestinian woman, born and raised in Lebanon’s refugee camps, starts a woman-led kitchen and food truck. | Image
Two boys and their parents go up the mountainside to their family tea garden to harvest tea leaves. |
WOW Dozen features a list of 12 global books for children and adolescents around a theme, topic, issue or personal favorites. Each Dozen consists of ten newly-published titles with two older “must have” books. Please share or recommend additional books that fit the theme in the comments section or on social media using #WOWDozen.
