First Peas to the Table

How Thomas Jefferson Inspired a School Garden

Plot Summary

Maya loves contests, so she is excited when her teacher announces that her class will plant a garden like Thomas Jefferson's. They'll also have a First Peas to the Table contest just like Jefferson and his neighbors had. Maya plants her pea seeds with a secret head start--found in Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book. But her friend Shakayla has plans of her own for winning the contest. . .

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9
RL.2.1,2,3,5,6,7,10
RL.3.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10

Awards

2012 Children's Agriculture Book of the Year, Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation; Best Children's Books of the Year 2013, Bank Street College

Reviews

"History, science and a guidance lesson all rolled into one, this could surely be the spark for many a school garden." Kirkus Reviews

"This beautifully illustrated story has a mixture of both fiction and facts about the life cycle of peas....Teachers will find a multitude of ways to use this book and this team's In the Garden with Dr. Carver." School Library Journal

"The first-person narrative relates events and Maya's changing perspective in a believably childlike voice, while the pencil-and-watercolor illustrations capture the story's tone as well as the characters' emotions." Booklist

 "This picture book seamlessly meshes together a little science, a little history, and a strong storyline." Library Media Connection

Associated Keywords
Thomas Jefferson, school gardens, gardening, peas, environment, multicultural, school