Vegetables in Underwear
- Targeted Audience: PreSchool, Lower Elementary (Ages 2-5)
• Genre: Fiction Picture Book
• Author/Illustrator: Jared Chapman
• Publisher: Abrams/Appleseed
• Publication Date: April 7, 2015
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Dimensions: 8″ X 8″
• Printing: Full Color
• Length: 40 Pages
• Retail: $14.95
• ISBN: 978-1419714641
Irresistible Humor for PreSchoolers
We all know that vegetables, don’t walk and talk and wear clothing – particularly undies! But what if they could do those things? Well, it would be pretty darn hilarious, wouldn’t it? In Vegetables in Underwear author Jared Chapman uses his terrific sense of humor to entertain the littlest readers. Seeing vibrantly painted eggplant, carrots, potatoes and turnips in their tidy whities (or other colors) is sure cause for giggles. Short sentences with very descriptive adjectives along with adorable illustrations give readers all they need to learn all they every wanted to know about underwear.
What This Book Teaches
While kids are laughing their way through Vegetables in Underwear they are encouraged to take a liking to veggies, will learn about the many different varieties and will want to eat more of them. Perhaps they’ll even want to work on potty training to get out of diapers – if they still wear them – and wear big boy or girl undies. The text is simple and bold and will help little ones start associating sounds with letters. Opposites are introduced too (i.e serious/funny, old/new, boys/girls).
Why You Should Buy This Book
The illustrations in the book are charming and humorous, and I just love books that have pictures in the inside covers. The best way to encourage the youngest children to love reading and books is to make them laugh, and Vegetables in Underwear will do just that. Cuddling up in bed with your children and listening to them roar with laughter is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
About the Author
Jared Chapman was born in Louisiana, grew up in Texas, went to college in Georgia, lived in Austin, and now calls the piney woods of northeast Texas his home. He has done work for Walt Disney Television Animation, Nick Jr., Nike, McSweeney’s, Hallmark, Jib Jab, Asthmatic Kitty Records, Mudpuppy, Thomas Nelson, Snoball, Sterling Publishing, and The Hollywood Reporter. He and his young brood prefer silly underwear to serious, and broccoli to celery.
The Ultimate Book About Me
- Targeted Audience: Upper Elementary & Middle School (Ages 9-14)
• Genre: Non-Fiction
• Author: Richard Platt
• Publisher: Barron’s Educational
• Publication Date: September 1, 2014
• Binding: Paperback
• Dimensions: 7.5″ X 10″
• Printing: Full Color
• Length: 144 Pages
• Retail: $16.95
• ISBN: 978-1438005577
“Who are you? The answer is more complex – and more interesting and more amazing – than any name.”
Who Am I and What Makes Me Unique?
The Ultimate Book About Me takes readers on a scientific journey to discover their true individual identities. The book was written in conjunction with the Who am I? Exhibit at the Science Museum of London, answering questions children typically ask about themselves. Author Richard Platt presents readers with fascinating facts about their bodies and brains and individuality in easy-to-understand terms, taking the mystery out of what would normally be a very complicated subject. The chapters include: 1) My Genes; 2) My Body; 3) My Brain; 4) My Face; 5) My Memory; 6) Senses; 7) My Words; 8) My Emotions; 9) Boy or Girl; 10) My Ancestors and 11) My Life.
Science All Kids Can Relate To
Information is broken up into manageable bits with the use of colored text boxes and photographs of children’s heads placed on top of drawings of bodies. There are questions posed and answered, quizzes and experiments too, as well as a glossary of terms. Among the countless highlights, readers will learn the role genetics play in what they look like, how genes shape their lives and what they can do to shape their own futures. They’ll understand more about how their senses, brains and memories work, what causes them to be fearful, angry or happy and what their ancestors can reveal about who they are today.
Why You Should Buy This Book
The Ultimate Book About Me is the ultimate introduction to the science of who we are as human beings. Children are so often curious about details about themselves and ask their parents questions that are not always easy to answer – until now. Richard Platt takes the subject of being human and breaks it down into understandable and intriguing text and combines that with imagery and interactive pages kids can relate to. This unique book will get kids’ brains reeling as they come to comprehend more about what makes them unique from a scientific standpoint. This book covers important material kids won’t likely learn in school. It takes the guesswork out of the many questions kids have about themselves and also answers questions they may never even have thought to ask.
About the Author
Richard Platt has been writing for children since 1992. One of his books, Castle Diary, was shortlisted for the Kate Maschler Award, The Times Education Supplement award, and a History Today prize. His Pirate Diary won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2002, the Silver Smarties Award 2002, and won the ‘Best Book With Facts’ prize in the Blue Peter Book Awards 2003.
Foodprints: The Story of What We Eat
- Targeted Audience: Middle & High School (Ages 12-18)
• Genre: Non-Fiction
• Author/: Paula Ayer
• Publisher: Annick Press
• Publication Date: February 10, 2014
• Binding: Paperback
• Dimensions: 6.5″ X 9″
• Printing: Full Color
• Length: 206 Pages
• Retail: $16.95
• ISBN: 978-1554517183
“For several hundred thousand years humans existed like this-hunting animals, fishing and foraging for whatever edible plants or fruits they could find. Then around 12,000 years ago, things started to change in a big way.”
One of the Best Non-Fiction Children’s Books I’ve Ever Read
I’m an avid cook and organic home gardener, so I often think about where our food comes from, just how much of it we consume and that we can just walk into a grocery story and buy it beautifully wrapped without having to get our own food like hunters and gatherers before us. I also live in Miami and am well aware of how much our country relies upon our farmers to produce fruits and vegetables during the winter months. But nothing prepared me for just how much I’d learn reading Foodprints: The Story of What We Eat. The book is jaw-dropping fascinating and one of the best children’s non-fiction books I’ve ever read.
“The World Health Organization recommends no more than 5 teaspoons of added sugar per day…The average American consumes a whopping 22 teaspoons of sugar a day.”
Changing the Way We Think About Food
We all take for granted the fact that we have an abundance of food here in North America, and it’s truly easy to obtain. Just walk into a grocery store or farmer’s market and fill your cart, or even order it online and get it delivered to your door. But what does it take to feed hundreds of millions of people on our continent, keeping in mind that the food must be safe, appealing and affordable? When you discover how food is grown and shipped, packaged and displayed, you’ll think twice about the fact that Americans waste 40% of what they buy.
On top of all this, the choices we make about what we eat are some of the most important decisions we make in our lives – not only for our own health but also for the future of planet earth. Teens discover just how much their food choices are influenced by marketing, and by the time they are done reading this book, they will want to take a fresh new look at their diets.
“Over 90% of allergic reactions are caused by only eight foods: peanuts, other nuts, milk, fish, shellfish, eggs, soy and wheat.”
A Comprehensive Look at Food
There’s so much invaluable information in Foodprints I can’t begin to present you with all the highlights, but here’s a list of some of what this book teaches:
How our food system evolved from hunter gatherers to on-line ordering
How mega farms and factories came to produce the bulk of our current food supply and what it takes to feed hundreds of millions of people from producing the food to shipping it and getting it on our grocery store shelves
How many of our foods contain corn and soy
How to work through confusing nutrition advice like good and bad carbs, as well as trendy superfoods such as kale, fad diets and how we digest our food
The role of science in the modern food system, from food-borne illnesses, improving safety and convenience to GMOs and artificial flavors
How what we grow and farm affect the environment
Why food advertisers want teens’ attention and how they get it
Stories about youth who are working to shape the future of food in positive ways, such as guerilla gardening and media activism
Although Foodprints is packed with information, the text is broken up with photographs and drawings and spectacular pages called Infobites, containing charts and numbers that boggle the mind.
Why Every Teen in North America Should Read This Book
A tremendous amount of research and work went into creating this book. It is written in a way that kids will understand and find fascinating. The bottom line is that we mustn’t take for granted the sources where our fruits and veggies are grown, meats are raised and the convenient ways we obtain them. The challenges and issues surrounding our food are not all clear cut. For example, genetically modified foods are often criticized, yet without them, we may not be able to produce food in the quantities needed to feed the world. Kids need to see the big picture so they can draw their own conclusions about what is best. Eating habits are generally lifelong, so if we teach our children to make healthier choices while they are young, they will live longer, more productive lives. Just go to any grocery store and notice the volume of overweight and obese shoppers. Then glance at their carts to see the many high calorie, low-nutrition foods they are feeding their families. Just reading the statistics in Foodprints is enough to motivate our youth to get on board.
About the Author
Paula Ayer has worked as an editor, translator, and art director, and has written for magazines and websites. She lives in Vancouver, BC, where she usually eats three meals a day.