Cornucopia Collection

Charlie and Lola’s I WILL NEVER  NOT EVER EAT A TOMATO, by Lauren Child, Candlewick Press.

This  pop-up book, supreme, with big, sturdy pages,  is colorful and crafty and a great way to counter a child whose first response to food is NO. We’ve all met children like this. In the past parents have resorted to all sorts of trickery; like burying spinach in mashed potatoes, just to get some greens down. But here, Charlie uses imagination to seduce his sister to eat, and enjoy peas, carrots, potatoes, and even the dreaded tomato, aka “moonsquirters.”

One problem, if  you live in an area of high humidity, practice manipulating the paper constructions before reading aloud with children to ward off frustration. Humid, sticky weather can gum up the dials, flaps, and tabs.

ACTIVITY: Pull out various fruits and vegetables. Identify them by their assumed name; eggplant, zucchini, banana, lemon, etc. but– based on their shape, color, texture, and smell, come up with imaginative new names. Moonsquirters, Cloud Fluff, Green Drops…. use language to whet the appetite, and expand young pallets.

You can purchase Charlie and Lola’s I WILL NEVER NOT EVER EAT A TOMATO

What Can You Do with a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla, illustrated by Magaly Morales, Tricycle Press.  Carmen Tafolla understands  the sensual power food has on memory. The smells in the air, the heat of the sun, the crisp relief an iced cold Paleta brings on a hot summer day in the colorful barrio slurps off the pages of this colorful, and evocative story. Paletas used for tickery, paletas used for bargaining, paletas used for neighborhood diplomacy, paletas used cosmetically and, most importantly paletas used for refreshment. Ah! Yum!! You will find yourself reaching for something cool and refreshing after you learn ALL the things you can do with a paleta!

Activity: How do paletas get their different colors? Make some! Depending on the fruit juices and the colors of your paletas, get  crayons to match. Design invitations to a paleta party, and see how many different things you can do with a paleta.

You can purchase What Can You Do with a Paleta

Here’s a two-fer; two charming “cooking poems” …. poema para cocinar…. by Jorge Argueta,  published by Groundwood Books.

Each book takes the reader through the process of making the title dish. Each poem is presented first in Spanish, followed by English translation. And each poem conveys a sense of earth-bound grace.

Our narrator, a young poet-cook, comprehends the wonders of transforming fruits from the earth into soup and pudding; nourishing for heart and soul.  His poetic images are enchanting; rich with the power  and delight of childhood, sensual food memories. Each book has a different illustrator; Fernando Vilela and Rafael Yockteng.

If you follow the recipe for cooking Sopa de frijoles, be prepared for:

Your house, smells wonderful, like the earth, after the first, winter rains.

ACTIVITY: Consider a dish you regularly prepare; something you know well. Try to write the recipe as un poema para cocinar; as a cooking poem. What images come to mind? What feelings are invoked? Can you translate your food poem, your un poema para cocinar, into another language? Illustrate your poem and mail it to a distant relative.

by Lucy Broadhurst, Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Ready, Steady, Spaghetti is a real cookbook for children, complete with  inviting food photography that sets the stage for beautiful presentation. This book takes seriously  the earnest  interest of a young, aspiring cook. The recipes are creative and show how to think in the kitchen, and how to balance flavors, textures, and tastes. The large pages make it easy for a child to hold spoon and bowl, while keeping a eye on the method.

This book can become a family favorite– and don’t be surprised if some of the older “kids” stake claim to Ready, Steady, Spaghetti.