From farm to bookshelves
Young authors explore agriculture through creative tales
Story by Linda DuBois
Engaging stories about egg production, owls and rainwater were among the winning entries for the 2024 “Imagine this…” Story Writing Contest. Coordinated annually by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, the contest is designed to inspire students in third through eighth grades to learn more about where their food and fiber come from and hone their writing skills. Students are asked to select and research a topic relating to agriculture and then craft a fiction or nonfiction story that educates the reader about the topic. The winning stories are published in a book illustrated by high school art, graphic design and photography students. (See Book Reviews on Page 16.) As usual, this year’s winners found impressively imaginative ways to bring to life information about California agriculture, often while weaving in other positive messages. Among them are two siblings from the tiny town of Hickman in Stanislaus County. Braden Frantz educates readers about the importance of water and its life cycle through the adventurous journey of a raindrop named Blobby. Braden says he had fun with the names of his characters, including Dribble, Trickle and Sprinkle. “I looked up synonyms for raindrops to come up with them,” he says. His sister Hailey writes of the destruction and regrowth
caused by wildfire through the eyes of a book-loving Sequoia tree that dreams of becoming a librarian. She chose forest trees for her crop because she appreciates the wood and paper they provide. Colton Menezes tells about a lamb that is unvalued because of his small size but grows into an impressive show sheep. He hopes readers are inspired by the idea that “no matter where you start, you can become anything you want.” Similarly, Shayna Gomes writes about a calf that looks different from the others in the herd because of its breed. She hopes readers embrace the message that “everyone is different and should be celebrated.” All the young authors have high praise for the high school artists who illustrated their stories. “It’s like he took it out of my brain. It’s just perfect,” Hailey Frantz says. Joey Vega, who chronicles the adventures of a peach named Fuzzy, offers advice for students struggling with writing assignments. If you get stuck with writer’s block, he says, “just take a little break, have a snack, take a breather and then just go back after it.” Entries for the contest are due each year on Nov. 1. For more information, visit LearnAboutAg.org.
Linda DuBois ldubois@californiabountiful.com
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