Right This Very Minute by Lisl H. Detlefsen and illustrated by Renée Kurilla is a joyful picture book that follows everyday meals back to the farmers, food producers and harvesters who make them possible. It’s an engaging reminder that long before breakfast, lunch or dinner reaches the table, someone is already hard at work.
The pages travel across fields, orchards, marshes, forests and more, showing the many hands behind the food we enjoy every day. One moment you’re watching maple sap slowly transform into rich, maple syrup. The next, you’re visiting cranberry marshes, where growers protect their crops from chilly nights by covering them with sprinklers that keep the berries at just the right temperature.
This book reminds us of our own Ontario farmers. August is a busy month, with orchards full of stone fruits like juicy peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots, while outdoor fields are harvesting tomatoes & peppers from mid summer to early fall. In August, you’ll also see a lot of tending to and monitoring crops as the fall harvest approaches.
What a perfect time to explore how raising adventurous eaters can start with learning about adventurous, hardworking farmers, and building food education with this great read helps children connect the real food on their plates to these dedicated growers.
This book was published by Feeding Minds Press, a children’s book publisher that specializes in books about modern agriculture.