M Is for Mason Jar

Carolyn Bennett Fraiser is a homesteader in the mountains of western North Carolina, where she writes for children and works as graphic designer for non-profit organizations. Sally Garland was brought up in a small town in the Highlands of Scotland called Alness, and studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art before moving to Glasgow, where she now lives and works with her partner and young son.

What do homesteading kids do? Here’s an alphabet of answers!The family at the center of this ABC book keeps busy with varying tasks, many of which involve getting fresh air: “E is for eggs,” “H is for harvest,” “L is for livestock,” “O is for orchards,” and more. But quite a lot goes on indoors: baking, canning, sewing, and enjoying the Yule log. Some topics may be unfamiliar (not all readers will have visited a root cellar, for instance), but several examples speak to universally resonant moments, like many youngsters’ habit of forgetting items left under the bed. The family members—who vary in skin tone and include three children and three adults—are often accompanied by a small white dog with brown spots, curiously poking its nose into things. Brief, clear, alliterative text adds a bit more information for each letter: “W is for windmills that pump water from wells all winter long.” Alternating vignettes with full-page spreads, the watercolorlike art is realistic, soft-edged, and gently imperfect. A final page offers a list of helpful activities that homesteading kids—or, for most suggestions, any other youngsters—could practice. This engaging book might introduce urban and suburban audiences to a way of life both old and new.An upbeat tribute to an existence marked by hard work but nevertheless filled with joy.