I’m a small farm proponent. And people who grow food for others are heroes of my heart. So when I Love Blueberries! by Shannon Anderson and Jaclyn Sinquett found its way to my reading chair, I was excited. With the turn of each brightly illustrated page, my enthusiasm bubbled up … what a great book. If I were a child of a certain age, I’d want to grow blueberries immediately because this book helps me understand what to do and how to get it done.
Jolie, the main character, asks Mrs. Clover, the local blueberry farmer, to help her germinate some seeds. When Jolie starts the school year, she discovers Margot, a new friend who has recently relocated from Maine where her family grew high bush and low bush blueberries.
Their teacher, Mr. Clover, is open to experiential lessons in his classroom: they’re already growing strawberries under a grow light. But that’s not enough for blueberries. The girls explore hydroponics, which requires start-up money. They think about applying for a grant. Eventually they discover a plan to set up a hydroponics station with five-gallon buckets, a fish tank, and a new blueberry grow light.
All of the planning and goals are beautifully incorporated into the illustrations, often in the girls’ journals. The doodles and drawings remind me of my own notes and dream-drawings in school. Did you illustrate your school days, too?
Instead of a grant, the girls invite community members who could support their growing experiment to an after-school presentation. They’re hoping for donations rather than money, a practical plan.
When the girls are ready to transplant their sprouted berry bushes, the illustration becomes an infographic to show us how hydroponics work.
Shannon Anderson’s writing is clear about blueberry growing but this book is also about growing a friendship and involving other children and grownups into your plans. She even includes one of Mr. Clover’s lessons into the story: writing a cinquain poem, which has a specific form. Both girls write their poems in their journals and illustrate them. The whole story is positive and upbeat … just the thing to involve kids in a project that also produces something they can eat!
I can’t say enough good things about Jaclyn Sinquett’s illustrations. They create a can-do mood. She notices small details that each reader will have fun finding on the page. Clothing has pattern and texture. Mr. Clover’s argyle sweater shows up in several spreads for continuity. The kids paint blue balloons to look like blueberries. And those journals!
This book is published by the American Farm Bureau Federation through their Feeding Minds Press. I am grateful to them for creating books that will get kids excited about growing food. Those children may become farmers someday but we need to inspire home growers, too. Understanding where food comes from will be enough for some kids. No matter where food enthusiasms lie, this is an important book to share with the young readers in your life. It works as a read-aloud or a book to read on one’s own. I can’t imagine experiencing this book without being inspired to grow something, especially yummy blueberries.
The back matter includes blueberry nutrition, as well as instructions and links for growing with hydroponics.
I hope the state children’s choice awards take note of I Love Blueberries! And the nature book awards. It’s a terrific addition for STEAM lesson plans. It succeeds as a book that teaches and a book that tells an inspiring story.
I Love Blueberries!
written by Shannon Anderson
illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett
Feeding Minds Press, 2025