Companion Resources

Nana is coming to visit! She's going to teach Little Pickle to make her famous "Nana rolls"—a special bread recipe that Nana's nana taught her. Together, they gather ingredients: eggs and milk, flour and oil, sugar and salt, yeast and water. As they mix them together to form the dough, Nana shares stories about how making this treasured family recipe has changed over the years—and how it's sustained their family through good times and hard ones. And through the times when they could be together—and the times when they couldn't. Because sometimes a simple loaf of bread can mean so much more.

The Beef Ag Mag was written for elementary and middle school students. In this issue, students will learn about how cattle are raised, the life cycle of cattle, careers, cattle breeds, cuts of beef, fun facts, and more. Visit the Interactive Map to discover where your state ranks in beef production. The reader can be viewed by students electronically, as a class with a SMARTboard, or printed.

The Oysters Ag Mag was written for elementary, middle, and high school students. In this issue, students will learn about the life cycle of oysters and their importance to coastal ecosystems. Students will discover the many ways to eat oysters, and how where they are grown affects the taste. They will learn the differences between wild and farmed oysters and vocabulary specific to oyster production. This reader includes a map of where oysters are grown in North Carolina. Visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries webpage to learn more about US-grown oysters. The reader can be viewed by students electronically, as a class with a SMARTboard, or printed.

The Careers Ag Mag was written for elementary, middle, and high school students. In this issue, students will learn about agricultural careers as they pertain to specific pathways: Agricultural Business, Agricultural Production and Mechanics, Animal Science, Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources, Food Science, Plant Science, and Education. Students will discover the relationships between all agricultural careers and farmers and ranchers. The reader can be viewed by students electronically, as a class with a SMARTboard, or printed.

The Peanuts Ag Mag was written for elementary and middle school students. In this issue, students will learn about the history and origin of peanuts and how peanuts are grown, harvested, and sold. They will learn about the life cycle of the peanut plant, and pests that affect the plant. They will discover George Washington Carver's contribution to agriculture. This reader includes specific statistics for North Carolina and includes a map of where peanuts are grown in the state. Visit the National Peanut Board to discover if your state produces peanuts and learn more about America's peanut production. This reader can be viewed by students electronically, as a class with a SMARTboard, or printed.

Seed Your Future is the movement to promote horticulture and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants. The website has a database of horticulture career profiles, as well as a YouTube playlist of videos describing horticulture career areas in "BLOOM!" categories. Students unlock their plant power as they explore careers in horticulture.

Learn to identify threatening species through tracks, scat, and the damage they leave behind. Fascinating profiles of more than 50 predatory mammals, birds, and reptiles teach farmers, ranchers, homesteaders, and backyard-animal raisers how to prevent their livestock, poultry, and pets from becoming prey. By understanding how predators think and behave, where and how they live, and how they attack and kill prey, you'll be able to interpret the potential threats surrounding your home.

Savor a rhyming celebration of one of the world's most universal foods! Readers follow ten diverse families as they cook dumplings inside their homes in preparation for a neighborhood potluck. Dumplings are added to plates one by one, encouraging children to count with each new addition. Authentic recipes for all the dumplings and a map showing their regions of origin are included in the endnotes. Dumpling Day features dumplings from the following regions: India, USA (Pennsylvania Dutch); China (Cantonese); Nigeria; Japan; Israel; Mexico; Syria; Russia; Italy.

Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie's abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in abuela's kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

To understand how a seed becomes a sunflower, you have to peek beneath the soil and wait patiently as winding roots grow, a stalk inches out of the earth, and new seeds emerge among blooming petals. From a tiny seed to a huge, fold-out bloom, the transformative life cycle of a sunflower plays out in this bold read-aloud.

Do YOU like pizza? Because right now, somewhere in the world, someone is eating it. Did you know that in the United States we eat 350 slices of pizza every second? Or that in Sweden they serve pizza with bananas and peanuts? All over the world, people love pizza—but where did it come from? And who made the first pizza?

Linh is having a picnic in her rooftop garden for all of her friends, and she needs help searching for blueberries to finish preparing her dishes. What do we know about blueberries? They're small, blue, and grow on bushes—and, just a second, is that a blueberry? No, that's. gooseberry. Where, oh, where could those blueberries be? Can you help Linh find them in time for her picnic?