A whimsical–yet factual–series of questions and answers about the things we eat... and don't eat!
Food critic Joshua David Stein whets the appetite of young readers with a wondrous and informative approach to talking about food. This humorous, stylized and entirely unexpected set of food facts will engage both good eaters and resisters alike. With questions both practical ("Can you eat a sea urchin?") and playful ("Do eggs grow on eggplants?"), this read-aloud text offers young children facts to share and the subtle encouragement to taste something new! Food and textile illustrator Julia Rothman brings an authenticity to the text that Stein has written from the heart, for his own three year-old and for pre-schoolers everywhere.
K-Gr 2—A colorful look at different types of foods, presented with humor and a light-hearted touch. Stein playfully asks, "What about 'a potato…a tomato…[or] a tornado?' You can't eat a tornado, but you can eat tonnato sauce from Italy, tournedos from France, or tostadas from Mexico." The text is simple but lively, often making use of puns. Rothman's illustrations, created in ink and gouache, solidify this title as an excellent offering for a nonfiction storytime. The text, illustration, and design all interact—an illustration of a round piece of food on a green background is accompanied by text that asks if it could be a faraway donut or a close-up Cheerio. The whimsical and incongruous concepts presented in the text will keep the little ones giggling. VERDICT An enjoyable addition suitable for discussions on food or for some added fun at storytime.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
Publisher's Weekly: "In a series of linguistically playful questions and answers about food, journalist and restaurant critic Stein suggests an exchange between an insatiably curious child and a good-humored parent...Throughout, Rothman (Hello NY) uses a vintage-meets-modern aesthetic to lovingly detail mismatched table settings, vats of pickles, and knobby chicken fingers, adding greatly to the book's smarts-plus-style approach."
Starred Review from Kirkus: "Wordplay and food play combine as an artist and a food critic explore edibles well beyond peanut butter and jelly...cleanly drawn and colored meats, veggies, and condiments are both easily recognizable and yummy looking. Tempting fare for venturesome children..."
"Both fastidious young eaters and those with adventurous appetites will find something to enjoy in the stylish pages of Joshua David Stein's "Can I Eat That?", a picture book illustrated by Julia Rothman. For the picky child, the fun may be in expressing gleeful repugnance at the idea of eating ghastly things like sea urchin or cold jellyfish. Pint-size epicures will, by contrast, savor the consonant potential of dishes such as tonnato, tournedos and tostadas... The bright colors and clean lines of Ms. Rothman's pictures give a fun, hip feeling to this amuse-bouche for 3- to 5-year-olds." -The Wall Street Journal
A whimsical–yet factual–series of questions and answers about the things we eat... and don't eat!
Food critic Joshua David Stein whets the appetite of young readers with a wondrous and informative approach to talking about food. This humorous, stylized and entirely unexpected set of food facts will engage both good eaters and resisters alike. With questions both practical ("Can you eat a sea urchin?") and playful ("Do eggs grow on eggplants?"), this read-aloud text offers young children facts to share and the subtle encouragement to taste something new! Food and textile illustrator Julia Rothman brings an authenticity to the text that Stein has written from the heart, for his own three year-old and for pre-schoolers everywhere.
K-Gr 2—A colorful look at different types of foods, presented with humor and a light-hearted touch. Stein playfully asks, "What about 'a potato…a tomato…[or] a tornado?' You can't eat a tornado, but you can eat tonnato sauce from Italy, tournedos from France, or tostadas from Mexico." The text is simple but lively, often making use of puns. Rothman's illustrations, created in ink and gouache, solidify this title as an excellent offering for a nonfiction storytime. The text, illustration, and design all interact—an illustration of a round piece of food on a green background is accompanied by text that asks if it could be a faraway donut or a close-up Cheerio. The whimsical and incongruous concepts presented in the text will keep the little ones giggling. VERDICT An enjoyable addition suitable for discussions on food or for some added fun at storytime.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
Publisher's Weekly: "In a series of linguistically playful questions and answers about food, journalist and restaurant critic Stein suggests an exchange between an insatiably curious child and a good-humored parent...Throughout, Rothman (Hello NY) uses a vintage-meets-modern aesthetic to lovingly detail mismatched table settings, vats of pickles, and knobby chicken fingers, adding greatly to the book's smarts-plus-style approach."
Starred Review from Kirkus: "Wordplay and food play combine as an artist and a food critic explore edibles well beyond peanut butter and jelly...cleanly drawn and colored meats, veggies, and condiments are both easily recognizable and yummy looking. Tempting fare for venturesome children..."
"Both fastidious young eaters and those with adventurous appetites will find something to enjoy in the stylish pages of Joshua David Stein's "Can I Eat That?", a picture book illustrated by Julia Rothman. For the picky child, the fun may be in expressing gleeful repugnance at the idea of eating ghastly things like sea urchin or cold jellyfish. Pint-size epicures will, by contrast, savor the consonant potential of dishes such as tonnato, tournedos and tostadas... The bright colors and clean lines of Ms. Rothman's pictures give a fun, hip feeling to this amuse-bouche for 3- to 5-year-olds." -The Wall Street Journal
