“A gutsy success story” (The New York Times Book Review) about one tenacious woman’s journey to escape rural poverty and create a billion-dollar farming business—without ever leaving the land she loves The youngest of her parents’ combined twenty-one children, Sarah Frey grew up on a struggling farm in southern Illinois, often having to grow, catch, or hunt her own dinner alongside her brothers. She spent much of her early childhood dreaming of running away to the big city—or really anywhere with central heating. At fifteen, she moved out of her family home and started her own fresh produce delivery business with nothing more than an old pickup truck. Two years later, when the family farm faced inevitable foreclosure, Frey gave up on her dreams of escape, took over the farm, and created her own produce company. Refusing to play by traditional rules, at seventeen she began talking her way into suit-filled boardrooms, making deals with the nation’s largest retailers. Her early negotiations became so legendary that Harvard Business School published some of her deals as case studies, which have turned out to be favorites among its students. Today, her family-operated company, Frey Farms, has become one of America’s largest fresh produce growers and shippers, with farmland spread across seven states. Thanks to the millions of melons and pumpkins she sells annually, Frey has been dubbed “America’s Pumpkin Queen” by the national press. The Growing Season tells the inspiring story of how a scrappy rural childhood gave Frey the grit and resiliency to take risks that paid off in unexpected ways. Rather than leaving her community, she found adventure and opportunity in one of the most forgotten parts of our country. With fearlessness and creativity, she literally dug her destiny out of the dirt.

Melinda's return to rural Iowa has exceeded her expectations. But as the months roll by and the seasons change, she must choose between the security of her old life in the city or taking a chance on an uncertain future. Second in a series.

El and Jo are the shortest kids in class, and they're inseparable. But what happens when Jo starts to grow? This sweet picture book explores the joys and challenges of friendship and growing up. "A sweet story with emotional depth." --Kirkus El and Jo are the smallest students in their class--and best friends, too, like peas in a pod. Even their names are short. But in springtime, something BIG happens: Jo starts growing like a weed, while El feels smaller every day. On the last day of school, their teacher asked every child to pick a plant to care for over the summer. All the other kids reach over El to grab their plant, and she has to take the very last one: a tiny, flowerless aster. At first, she's disappointed. But as summer progresses, the aster begins to bloom--and so does El

Now we have equality. Now we've out grown our biology. With FulLife's baby pouch, women are liberated and men can share the joy of childbearing, Holly's whole family knows the benefits, but Eva doesn't believe society has changed for the better and Piotr has uncovered a secret behind FullLife's glossy façade. What separates them may just bring them together, as they search for the truth about FullLife and each face a truth of their own.

After losing three children, Arlene Bernstein retreated to the garden to escape her inner torment and grief - and there, in a small patch of land surrounded by the gentle rolling hills of her Napa Valley vineyard she discovered a series of remarkable insights. As she begins to feel grounded in the earth beneath her feet, her inner obstacles and challenges transform into opportunities for celebrating the joys of life. Growing Season is an invitation to live mindfully and reconnect with our deepest sources of creativity and nourishment. Reminiscent of A Gift From the Sea, this book teaches us how to slow down and notice what is right in front of us, and how to emerge from grief transformed and renewed.

"Accompanying these vibrant photographs are revealing first-person narratives written by David Hassler.