George McDonald’s mission to show kids where their food comes from

George McDonald is turning cows, ice cream, and lunchboxes into lively rhymes, using children’s books to reconnect kids with the story of their food.

Raised on a farm on Thompsons Track near the Ashburton River, McDonald says his rural upbringing shaped his respect for agriculture.
“Technically I’m a farm boy, but I wouldn’t call myself a farmer. I never intended to work in agriculture, but I realised if you want real purpose in your work, producing food is about as good as it gets.”

Although his career hasn’t been on the farm, McDonald has always worked close to the food chain - first with Fonterra and Dairyworks, and now as brand and channel manager at Ravensdown.

The distance from the paddock gave him perspective.
“You don’t always appreciate what you’ve got until you leave. At uni and later in Auckland I realised how lucky we are. With kids, you don’t need zoos, you just drive 15 minutes and see real animals in paddocks. I wanted to pass that sense of connection on.”

Books born at the breakfast table

McDonald’s inspiration came from home.
“I’ve got two young boys under three. My eldest, Finn, turns three in October and his favourite things are cows, horses, and ice cream. When we tell him he’s going to Nana and Poppa’s farm he lights up and asks every day when the weekend is.
“I thought - my kids love books, I love books, so why not use my creative skills to put something together?”

Not content just to write, McDonald illustrated the books himself, teaching himself Adobe Illustrator along the way.

His debut, My Dad Sells Ice Cream, launched the Little Farmer series by tapping into a childhood favourite food.
“Finn loves Hokey Pokey ice cream. We bribe him with it for everything from eating dinner to potty training. Seeing his excitement made me realise there was a story.
“I wanted something fun and entertaining but still educational. And who doesn’t love ice cream? It keeps a bit of kid magic in the mix.”

Lunchboxes and lessons

The second book, My Lunch Comes from the Store, widened the scope from dairy to the whole lunchbox: bread, yoghurt, apples - and chips.
“Kids love treats. I didn’t want it to be preachy. Kids do eat chips and biscuits. It’s about being real while showing where food comes from.”

The rhyming, playful style takes cues from childhood classics.
“Kids’ books should be fun and full of exaggeration. For example, in one book the child says his lunch is ‘yuck’, because that’s how kids really talk.”

While the books avoid being overly moralistic, McDonald hopes they quietly educate both children and adults.
“In Auckland I noticed how disconnected people are.

“Many don’t understand where milk or butter comes from, they just complain about the price.”

Tested on tough critics

Feedback at home has been both heart-warming and brutally honest.
“My youngest, Cooper, only lets us read two books: Where Is the Green Sheep?and mine. He toddles over to his grandad with the book saying ‘ice-cream, ice-cream.’ That melted his heart, and mine.”

His wife keeps him on track:
“My wife is brilliant. She’ll say, ‘kids don’t talk like that.’ I also leaned on rural professionals to check details, like how potatoes are grown.”

McDonald admits the hardest part was knowing when to stop editing.
“The challenge was being my own worst critic. I wanted to take the illustrations up a level, add more detail, strengthen the rhymes. Knowing when to stop is hard. Hitting ‘send to print’ is nerve-wracking because you can always tweak more, and everyone has an opinion.”

Looking ahead

McDonald hopes the Little Farmer series will grow across other sectors, including sheep and beef.
“The goal is to expand across more parts of the farm. The sheep and beef story is harder to tell in a family-friendly way, but I’ll keep working on it. Right now, I’m focused on spreading the message - getting books into daycares, schools, preschools. They don’t educate anyone if they’re sitting in my garage.”

For now, the books are self-published and available at www.littlefarmers.co.nz,but McDonald has bigger ambitions – and hopes to land a book deal to increase his reach.
“Farmers appreciate them straight away, but if these reach urban schools it would be huge. I’ve slipped in little facts, like cows having four stomachs and eating grass and clover. If a child or parent learns something new, that’s a win.”

By Claire Inkson