INDIANAPOLIS — The 2023 Indiana Farm Bureau Book of the Year is I LOVE Strawberries!, written by Hoosier native, Shannon Anderson, with illustrations by Jaclyn Sinquett. The annual Book of the Year is a part of INFB’s Agriculture in the Classroom program, a grassroots, agricultural outreach program for school children in Indiana. The book was announced at INFB’s 2022 Annual State Convention at the J.W. Marriott in Indianapolis.
I LOVE Strawberries! follows Jolie as she finds out just how delicious, rewarding and complicated it can be to grow your own food. Through Jolie’s scrapbook-style journal entries, young readers learn how strawberries grow, what pests to look out for in a garden, why ladybugs are helpful, and more.
The children’s book, which is a printed title from Feeding Minds Press – a project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture – was recently awarded the 2022 top-rated picture book by Good Housekeeping magazine.
INFB staff and professional educators selected this year’s book to bring awareness to diversified agriculture, integrated pest management and the u-pick approach to farming. For the seventh consecutive year, a statewide campaign, led by the INFB Women’s Leadership Committee, is underway to promote the book in every county throughout 2023.
Author Shannon Anderson is an award-winning educator. She taught for 25 years, from first grade through college level. Shannon served as the regional advisor for the Indiana Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, was on the board of directors for the Indiana State Literacy Association and was a gifted coordinator and literacy coach for her school corporation in Rensselaer, Indiana. She now enjoys writing children’s books, as well as inspiring children through author visits and teachers through professional development. Additionally, Anderson will present during a Book of the Year workshop held during INFB’s 2022 Annual State Convention.
Anderson and her family have their very own strawberry patch. Her daughters have learned about the joy of growing food, which inspired I LOVE Strawberries! The book’s illustrator, Jaclyn Sinquett, also grew up around gardening and now loves shopping local at her neighborhood farmers market.
Throughout the year, Ag in the Classroom volunteers will be able to use the Book of the Year with classrooms virtually or in person to read the book aloud and donate it for future use. INFB representatives also use this opportunity to answer any questions the students have about modern farming in Indiana. INFB’s Ag in the Classroom program also will release a curriculum for teachers wishing to incorporate the book into their class work.
INFB launched the Book of the Year program in 2017 with The Kid Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews, a children’s book about Norman Borlaug, who grew up and used his knowledge of agriculture to create “super plants” that saved the lives of two billion people.
Anyone involved in education and interested in learning more about how INFB’s 2023 Book of the Year can be incorporated into curriculum or student programming can visit the Ag in the Classroom section of INFB’s website.
— Indiana Farm Bureau
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