Maya loves contests, so she is excited when her teacher announces they will plant a school garden like Thomas Jefferson's garden at Monticello-and they'll have a "e;First Peas to the Table"e; contest, just like Jefferson and his neighbors had each spring. Maya plants her pea seeds with a secret head start-found in Jefferson's Garden Book-and keeps careful notes in her garden journal. But her friend Shakayla has plans of her own for the contest...Susan Grigsby's light-hearted classroom story also presents scientific and historical information. Nicole Tadgell's watercolors add both appeal and botanical accuracy.