It’s that time again. Time for gardens full of fresh vegetables and orchards of luscious fruit. We’ve already gotten our first pick-up from our CSA and our own garden is full of lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, herbs, and beans.
All my kids eat fruit wonderfully, but sadly only Sophia eats vegetables very well. One thing that’s been fun for us has been to read “foodie” books to the kids. It’s a different way for them to learn about food and hopefully spark an interest in trying new types of food too. I’ve posted some of these titles before, but I’ve updated it include some newer ones we’ve just discovered this year. So check out some of these books at your local library this weekend and snuggle on the couch or outside on a blanket for some reading time with the kids. Here are our favorites:
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
With bold pictures and simple words, follow along as a garden is planted, grows, and then is harvested. The result is a yummy vegetable soup!
Cook-a-Doodle-Doo! by Janet Stevends & Susan Stevens Crummel
This was the boys’ favorite, because they love cake and because Nonna (my mom) owns chickens and so they get excited when they see pictures of chickens. I really loved the illustrations and the story was cute with some humor thrown in that only adults would get too. Basically, the book is about a Rooster who decides to make a cake from his famous grandmother’s cookbook (his grandmother being the Little Red Hen). We follow his adventures as he and his friends learn to cook. I liked that fact that in sidebars there were explanations and instructions about cooking that went more in-depth for older children. Also, the recipe is included if you wanted to make your own Cook-a-Doodle cake!
Oliver’s Milk Shake by Vivian French
Aunt Jen takes Oliver and his cousin Lily to find out where the ingredients for a “yummy scrummy fruity froth icy nicy tip-top tasty milk shake” come from. They visit a farm and pick their ingredients and make tasty milk shake. Although Aunt Jen has a little surprise from Oliver at the end.
Oliver’s Fruit Salad by Vivian French
Oliver’s adventures continue as he makes a fruit salad with his mom and grandparents.
The Victory Garden Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
We love all (there’s a lot of them!) of Jerry Pallotta’s alphabet books and I use them to reinforce alphabet sounds while learning about nature. This one introduces kids to garden veggies.
Mice and Beans by Pan Munoz Ryan
Rosa Maria is planning for a big party for her granddaughter and gets some help along the way from some mice who live in her house. A really sweet story sprinkled with Spanish and includes a Spanish glossary and pronunciation guide at the end.
Do you and your kids have any favorite “foodie” books? Please share!
WE’ve read “Blueberries for Sal” a gazillion times and love it. I read it so much to the boys when they were younger, non-readers, and now Bella has been in the mood for me to read it and re-read it to her. I love it! Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk. 🙂
For older kids, “Strawberry Girl” was a fantastic story that I think is best enjoyed via audiobook because of the vernacular used throughout.
I forgot about Blueberries for Sal! A great book!