Tasty Picture Books
By Janet Peterson

If reading about food satisfies certain cravings (see January’s “Good Food Reads”, then reading and seeing colorful illustrations of food is like having two desserts. What person in the English-speaking world hasn’t loved Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Or joined in reciting the last lines of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas? (“And the Grinch – he himself! – helped to carve the roast beast.”)

Since eating is very much a part of children’s daily lives, children’s literature often mentions foods eaten by the characters.  Many times food is the focal point of the story.

Picture books aren’t just for children; they’re some of the best literature around. Exceptional Illustrators provide visual feasts in varied media. If you don’t have a child handy to share picture books, just enjoy them yourself. Pay attention to how and what food is included in stories.

Here are some of my favorites. Readers, what are some of your favorite picture books that focus on food?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett (New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1978). 

The town of Chewandswallow is like many other towns, with tree-lined streets, schools, and stores. But the weather in Chewandswallow is very different: food comes down from the sky, three times a day.

“It never rained ran. It never snowed snow. And it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed mashed potatoes and green peas. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers.”

“Each day brought a different menu.

“After a brief shower of orange juice, low clouds of sunny-side up eggs moved in followed by pieces of toast. Butter and jelly sprinkled down for the toast. And most of the time it rained milk afterwards.”

The people of Chewandswallow enjoyed this instant food, until one day when the weather took a turn for the worse. Find out how the townspeople escaped the “pea soup fog” and got back to snow, rain, and supermarkets.

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (New York: Harper and Row, 1964).

Picky-eater Frances refuses to eat the dinner her mother cooked—breaded veal cutlets, with string beans and baked potatoes—and only wants to eat bread and jam.

“Jam on biscuits, jam on toast,
Jam is the thing that I like most.
Jam is sticky, jam is sweet,
Jam is tasty, jam’s a treat –
Raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, I’m very
FOND ... OF ... JAM!”

Frances sings little songs about food she doesn’t like:

“Poached eggs on toast, why do you shiver

With such a funny little quiver?”

Mother decides to give Frances just what she wants – bread and jam for every meal. Soon, Frances cries,

“What I am

Is tired of jam.”

She decides variety is better than just bread and jam and enjoys a gourmet lunch at school, making “the lobster-salad sandwich, the celery, the carrots sticks, and the olives come out even.”

Albert’s Impossible Toothache by Barbara Williams, illustrated by Kay Chorao (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1977).

Albert the turtle has a toothache. Since turtles don’t have teeth, no one in his family believes him.  Mother, like any mother, tries hard to get ailing Albert to eat food that will make him feel better.

“She worried and worried. Then she thought of something. She got up and went to work in the kitchen.

“‘Look,’ she said to Albert. ‘I’ve fixed you a special breakfast of all your favorite things – rotting oak bark garnished with sunflower seeds, a dried aspen leaf, and half a green caterpillar.’

“‘I can’t eat anything,’ said Albert, poking the tip of his nose out from under the covers. ‘I have a toothache.’ “

Family members give their views of why Albert stays in bed.

Marybelle, his sister, says: 

“Albert just doesn’t want to eat his black ants,’ said Marybelle.”  And later, “‘He just knew we were having gray spider legs for dinner.’ ”

Finally, it is Grandmother, who understands Albert and cures his toothache.

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1978). 

Tomie de Paola’s delightful first wordless picture book “tells” the story of a little old lady’s attempts to make pancakes for breakfast, hindered by her pets and lack of ingredients. At last, she enjoys pancakes for breakfast.

Yoko, written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (New York: Hyperion Books, 1998).

Yoko’s schoolmates make fun of her sushi lunch.

“Timothy unwrapped a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Valerie had cream cheese and jelly. Fritz had a meatball grinder. Tulip had Swiss cheese on rye. Hazel had egg salad on pumpernickle. Doris had squeeze cheese on white, and the Franks had franks and beans.

“Yoko opened the willow-covered cooler. Inside was her favorite sushi. Tucked in the rice rolls were the crispiest cucumber, the pinkest shrimp, the greenest seaweed, and the tastiest tuna.

“‘What’s in your lunch?’ asked one of the Franks. ‘Ick! It’s green! It’s seaweed!’ “

Concerned about Yoko, Mrs. Jenkins, the teacher, plans International Food Day. With their mother’s help, students bring enchiladas, Caribbean coconut crisps, Nigerian nut soup, Brazil nuts, potato knishes, mango smoothies, spaghetti, Boston franks and beans, and, of course, sushi. Still, sushi remains unpopular, except with Timothy. He and Yoko decide to open a restaurant together.

Crepes by Suzette, written and illustrated by Monica Wellington (New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2004). 

Suzette travels around Paris each day selling crepes from her street cart. Through mixed media collages of photos, drawings based on famous paintings and sculptures, and items such as postcards, stamps, and theater tickets, the reader is introduced to Paris and a little French as well.

“From the gardens close by come the laughter and chatter of children just dismissed from school. They all want crepes filled with chocolate. C’est bon!”

Suzette’s crepe recipe is included.

Cook-A-Doodle-Doo, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, illustrated by Janet Stevens (New York: Harcourt Brace,1999). 

Rooster is tired of chicken feed and wants something new to eat. He discovers his great-grandmother’s cookbook, The Joy of Cooking Alone, and finds that she, the Little Red Hen, baked more than bread.

“‘Have you lost your marbles, Rooster?’ asked Cat.

“‘You’ve never cooked anything before!’ said Goose.

“‘That doesn’t matter, replied Rooster. ‘Cooking is in my blood—it’s a family tradition. Now who will help me?’”

Though several of his friends repeat “Not I,” Turtle, Iguana, and Pig agree to help. Children will giggle when they see how these novices try to beat an egg with a baseball bat and pick a petunia for “flour.” At last their cake comes out of the oven.

“It looked just like the picture of the strawberry shortcake in the cookbook.

“‘This is the most wonderful, magnificent strawberry shortcake in the whole wide world,’ said Rooster. ‘If Great-Granny could see me now!’ “

Cooking helps accompany the story as well as the recipe for Great-Granny’s Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake.

The Doorbell Rang, written and illustrated by Pat Hutchins (New York: Greenwillow Books, 1986). 

When Victoria and Sam’s mother bakes a dozen cookies, they think they have six each.

“‘They look as good as Grandma’s,’ said Victoria.

“‘They smell as good as Grandma’s.’ said Sam.

“‘No one makes cookies like Grandma,’ said Ma as the doorbell rang.”

With each ringing of the doorbell, more children arrive to share the cookies, until there is only one cookie apiece. The doorbell rings one more time, and it is Grandma with a whole tray of hot cookies.