Bookworms in the Pantry

Lydia over at The Perfect Pantry is doing a weekly feature called "Bookworms in the Pantry", highlighting books about food -- and of course books and food are some of our favorite things chez Mommy Cooks!  We were delighted to submit five of our top choices, all great for reading aloud --

In How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman, the intrepid narrator, when faced with a closed market and no possibility of buying the ingredients for apple pie, sets out on a whirlwind world tour to collect those ingredients herself.  First stop, Italy, to gather semolina wheat!  Whimsical and lively illustrations and matter-of-fact text combine for a gentle lesson in geography and determination -- and of course, how to make an apple pie.

We were surprised but not very much that so many "foody" books for kids have to do with fussy eaters.  Mary Ann Hoberman's and Marla Frazee's The Seven Silly Eaters has not one but seven fussy eaters, the children of an increasingly frazzled but always loving mother who does her best to accommodate seven, count 'em, seven, different food quirks.  The children's good intentions on their mother's birthday lead to an unexpected but happy solution for all.  Hoberman's clever rhymes (which remind me of Garrison Keillor's songs) and Frazee's energetic and amazingly detailed illustrations are a perfect match.

In I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child, the irrepressible Lola, who has a very long list of things she will not eat, is persuaded by her brother Charlie to try something "new".  Charlie's inventive solution to the problem of Lola's pickiness has become a standard at our table, even though Moon Squirters are actually one of our girls' favorite things.

In Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco, a little girl who is terrified of thunderstorms is distracted from her fears by her grandmother, as they gather the ingredients -- milk from mean old Kick Cow, eggs from Nelly Peck Hen, flour from the dark and scary dry shed -- for a cake that can only be made before the thunderstorm strikes.  Atmospheric illustrations are complemented by Grandma's gentle words and comforting presence.

Probably the most famous picky eater in children's literature is the narrator of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, who refuses to try Sam-I-Am's green eggs and ham, despite Sam's ever-more-absurd temptations -- "will you try them with a fox? will you try them in a box?"  Eventually, of course, the narrator relents and discovers that something new might not be so bad after all.

Bon appétit!

Comments

[Lydia]

Jeanne, I love your Bookworm selections! Thanks for being part of this fun project.

[Steamy Kitchen]

Love the recommendations! I'm going to order a couple of them on Amazon. I wrote an Ode to Fried Rice and Spam in the style of Green Eggs and Ham! My kids thought it was so hilarious!
Its on my site if you'd like a laugh...

[Susana]

we too love kids lit/stories about food