In honor of Soy Foods Month this April, an agronomy professor has created an interactive book to help spread the message of Coolbean the Soybean and teach youngsters in grades 3-5 how to think like scientists about the important field of agriculture.

“I wanted to develop a fun, yet educational, tool to help teach today’s youth about where food comes from, career opportunities in agriculture, and explain why soybeans are so important, not only here in the US, but around the world,” says Author Shawn Conley, an agronomy professor and Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “My daughters were the main reason for writing this book, but I also remember being inspired at an early age by my first and second grade teacher, Mrs. Swiggum. Hopefully this book can help inspire the next generation of agricultural scientists.”

The book, published jointly by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America in partnership with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, follows the life of Coolbean the Soybean.
Coolbean introduces kid to soybeans, agriculture, agronomy, and crop and soil sciences. Coolbean explains modern farming techniques, how a seed becomes a plant and then produces a crop. The book tells the story of how soil, sunshine, and water affect the growth of the plant.

“We chose to follow the format of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) graphic novels and comics because it’s a style that kids are very comfortable with,” says Lisa Al-Amoodi, managing editor. “It also allowed us to package a lot of nonfiction science content into a cool story about a soybean.”

Soybeans are one of the most nutritious beans on the earth, and the protein-rich legumes are vital to a healthy diet, but nutrition and food is only one aspect of this amazing crop; they are also used in the production of cardboard, cars, crayons and more. Soybeans are also the second most planted crop in the U.S. and are vitally important to the economy. Soy production accounted for over $40 billion in revenue in 2014.

Coolbean the Soybean is available in both traditional and e-book formats at the Society Store website. In celebration of Soy Foods Month, use promo code, SOYFOODS, for 50% off from March 1-April 15.