AFBF Announces Book of the Year Winner
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture presented its 14th Book of the Year award to Viola Butler for “Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish.”
In this “dairy-tale,” a young boy named Chuck wishes for all the ice cream he can eat, prompting his “Dairy Godmother” to show up to grant his wish with a dairy farm, where he gets a firsthand look at the hard work and care that goes into producing his favorite treat.
“Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish” is Butler’s first published book. She works in education and lives in the suburbs with her family.
Last year, Kelsi Kessler, the 2020 Illinois State County Fair Queen, read the book as part of an Illinois Ag in the Classroom program.
The Book of the Year award springs from the Foundation’s effort to identify “Accurate Ag Books,” a collection of nearly 500 books for children, teenagers and adults that accurately cover agricultural topics. Book of the Year selections are educational, help to create positive public perceptions about agriculture, inspire readers to learn more and touch their readers’ lives as well as tell the farmer’s story.
The Accurate Ag Books database is available on line at: www.agfoundation.org/recommended-pubs
To accompany “Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish,” the Foundation created an educator’s guide.