Tales for Very Picky Eaters

by Josh Schneider

Overview

2012 Winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award! James is a very picky eater. His dad has to get creative—very creative—in order to get James to eat foods he thinks he doesn’t like. He presents James with a series of outlandish scenarios packed with fanciful and gross kid-friendly details—like pre-chewed gum as an alternative to broccoli and lumpy oatmeal that grows so big it eats the dog—in an effort to get James to eat. But it is eventually James himself who discovers that some foods are not so bad, after all, if you’re willing to give them a try. This irreverently hilarious early reader, illustrated in full color, explores a universal point of contention between parent and child in a playful, satisfying way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547772288
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	05/02/2011
Sold by:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,300,874
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Josh Schneider is the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning creator of Tales for Very Picky Eaters, The Meanest Birthday Girl, Bedtime Monsters, Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover, and Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred). His first book for Clarion, You'll Be Sorry, was named "Book That Provides Best Ammunition to Parents Weary of Warning Their Kids About Socking Their Siblings" by Publishers Weekly magazine. Josh lives in Chicago with his wife, Dana.

Editorial Reviews

2012 Winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

"Eager and picky eaters alike will enjoy the wordplay and outrageous situations, which create humor from a familiar source of family tension."—Booklist

 

"The sophisticated yet silly humor will appeal to new readers wanting something a little different. . . . A perfect segue into chapter books, this easy reader is sure to be a crowd pleaser." —School Library Journal

 

"Stories with all the wit and good humor parents can often lose during dinner table battles. A palatable strategy." —Chicago Tribune

"The illustrations are fun and whimsical, which causes even picky youngsters to listen attentively without complaints." —Sacramento Book Review

From the Publisher

Many youngsters are picky eaters and their families often go through battles at mealtime. They (and others who enjoy silly, outrageous humor) are certain to enjoy this lively tale of James, his father and their differences over food. The story opens with James declaring that he will not eat broccoli because "[i]t's disgusting." In its place, his dad suggests dirt blended with earthworms or gum that has already been chewed by many children or a sock that is thoroughly saturated with sweat. Of course, James ends up eating the broccoli. Next, James refuses mushroom lasagna, since "[i]t smells funny." His father launches into a rollicking story about a troll who lives in the cellar and was brought in just to cook the lasagna. If James does not eat it, the troll will have to be fired and go back to his old position in the rat circus, where he will be bitten again and again by the rats. So, James eats the lasagna. When James announces that "[m]ilk is repulsive," his father recites all the problems brought on by having soft bones because of not drinking milk. Dad then convinces James that by not eating his lumpy oatmeal, the house will be overrun by the hungry, fast-growing oatmeal that will eat everything in sight, especially ice cream and cake. It might even eat the dog. In the last chapter, James does not want to eat slimy eggs. Before his dad can say anything, James begins a tall tale about multiplying eggs and hatching chickens, or eggs that turn out to be dinosaurs that the troll must smash or be sent back to the rat circus. Calmly, his father says, "You might like them if you tried them," and of course James enjoys them. Made with a combination of pen-and-ink, watercolors and colored pencils, the cartoon-like pictures are an excellent match for the text and add greatly to the fun. This is an ideal selection for story hour, so add it to the next book order. Reviewer: Sylvia Firth

Children's Literature - Sylvia Firth

Gr 1–3—James is a very picky eater, but after hearing his father's alternatives, he reconsiders. Dad's choices are outrageous and will have children laughing and turning the pages. In the first of five, "The Tale of the Disgusting Broccoli," it's either eat the broccoli or eat dirt "walked on by the most skilled chefs"; "fine gum, carefully chewed"; or a "very sweaty sock." In another tale, James eats mushroom lasagna that "smells funny" because he doesn't want the troll that lives in the basement to lose his job as cook. The sophisticated yet silly humor will appeal to new readers wanting something a little different. The comical illustrations are done in watercolor, ink, and colored pencil and are surrounded by plenty of white space. A perfect segue into chapter books, this easy reader is sure to be a crowd pleaser.—Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. "It's disgusting," says James. Well then, James, says his father, let's consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? "Blech," says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You'll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog's belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James' father parrying his son's every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father's retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent's vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won't be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider's watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James' father's last urging—"I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them"—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews