Bread Lab!

It’s a sleepy Saturday morning for most people, but not for Iris, who has to feed her many pets before Aunt Mary arrives. Iris likes to call Aunt Mary “Plant Mary” because she is a plant scientist.
Today Aunt Mary wants to experiment with making whole wheat sourdough bread from scratch! As the family kitchen transforms into a bread lab, Iris is surprised that bread needs only four ingredients―flour, water, salt and starter. She also learns about the invisible microbes that make the dough rise, and how flour comes from wheat grown by farmers. It all seems magical, but it’s really science.
Kim Binczewski and Bethany Econopouly, plant researchers at The Bread Lab at Washington State University, Mount Vernon, make their picture-book debut with this mouth-watering story that captures the step-by-step process and delicious aromas, sensations, sights and sounds of bread-making. The playful art of Hayelin Choi, illustrator of Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, crackle and pop with fun, to inspire new bakers and young scientists alike!
Published in Cooperation with The Bread Lab at Washington State University, Mount Vernon. Sponsored by the Bread Bakers Guild of America.

Kim Binczewski is the managing director of the Bread Lab at Washington State University in Mount Vernon, where her work includes field research, community outreach, and connecting farmers with bakers, chefs and businesses. She grew up on a small farm in western New York and studied Environmental Science in college. She lives in Bellingham, Washington. This is her first picture book.
Bethany Econopouly has a PhD from Washington State University and an MS from Colorado State University, both in agricultural sciences. She previously worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle. She currently lives near Philadelphia. This is her first picture book.
Hayelin Choi made her illustration debut with Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, which earned a starred review from School Library Journal. She was born and raised in Gwacheon, South Korea. A visual storyteller, she studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and is pursuing a graduate degree in graphic design at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where she lives.

Kim Binczewski is the managing director of the Bread Lab at Washington State University in Mount Vernon where her work includes grant writing, field research, community outreach and connecting farmers with bakers, chefs and food companies that are interested in working with unique grains. The best part of her work at the lab is the mix of science, farming and baking that makes better food for people and better crops to enrich our soil. She has a degree in Environmental Science from SUNY Buffalo. She was raised on a small farm in New York State and now lives in Bellingham, WA.

Bethany Econopouly has a PhD from Washington State University and an MS from Colorado State University, both in plant breeding and genetics. She's also worked in international agricultural research at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Currently, Bethany works at Cornell University where she focuses on applied genomics and international partnerships. When she was young, she wanted a career in baking and cooking. Later, she became fascinated with genetics and specialized in agriculture. She lives in Oregon and New York.

Hayelin Choi made her illustration debut with Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, which earned a starred review from School Library Journal. She is also the author and author/illustrator of numerous children’s books published in China and South Korea, her native country. She is currently works as a freelance designer and illustrator focusing on educational and non-profit organizations. She teaches at George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington D.C. and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where she lives.

Hayelin Choi made her picture book debut with Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, a School Library Journal “Starred" review book. She was born in South Korea and grew up in Canada and New York City. She studied illustration at The School of Visual Arts and has worked as a textile print designer. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in graphic design at Maryland Institute College of Art.