First Peas to the Table How Thomas Jefferson Inspired a School Garden

Maya loves contests, so she is excited when her teacher announces they will plant a school garden like Thomas Jefferson's garden at Monticello--and they'll have a "First Peas to the Table" contest, just like Jefferson and his neighbors had each spring. Maya plants her pea seeds with a secret head start--found in Jefferson's Garden Book--and keeps careful notes in her garden journal. But her friend Shakayla has plans of her own for the contest...Susan Grigsby's light-hearted classroom story also presents scientific and historical information. Nicole Tadgell's watercolors add both appeal and botanical accuracy.

Susan Grigsby lives in St. Louis, MO. She teaches poetry writing in schools, gardens, and nature centers. With her husband and their youngest son, David, she tends a garden large enough to feed her family, share with the neighborhood, and satisfy roaming critters. When Nicole Tadgell was studying art in college, she realized illustrating children's books could be her life path. Nicole has illustrated fourteen books, including Lucky Beans by Becky Birtha and In the Garden with Dr. Carver, also by Susan Grigsby. To get a feel for each book, she pretends she's the child in the story, and does the things the child does. She lives in Spencer, Massachusetts, with her boys; husband, Mark; and border terrier, Boomer. www.nicoletadgell.com