Exploring the World of Food in Picture Books

When we read books about food with kids, we often tell stories about fun food like cookies, pizza, ice cream, and tacos. There are wonderful picture books that highlight all these foods. We also read about the importance of eating vegetables and trying new foods. Books about food are a grounding and connecting experience for kids as eating is an experience we all share, and it opens excellent opportunities for conversation, learning, and fun. With all of us librarians trying to make sure we reflect on our communities, food can be overlooked.

When your lunch box has items like fish, samosas, or kimchi instead of peanut butter and jelly and an apple, kids can feel shame. I think picture books play an important role here, to bolster the confidence of children who have a non-traditional American lunch and to make kids who are having PB&J aware of different foods, so they aren’t a mystery. I have chosen a few books I think would be great to highlight in your collections to break down food barriers and maybe help us all try some fantastic new foods.

If you watched the popular Netflix show Squid Game, you may remember the Korean sweet treat of dalgona. Dalgona is a retro street food that is still enjoyed and is made by melting sugar and adding baking soda to make a toffee-like treat. The sugary mixture is poured onto a flat surface and stamped with a cookie cutter to imprint an image. The fun continues as you try to trim away the outline of the sugar without breaking the picture. A fragile and tasty game. Korean-British author and illustrator Sojung Kim-McCarthy explores dalgona and the challenges of being an immigrant child in Binna’s Dalgona. Binna is starting to feel grown up and getting used to her new school and life away from Korea. She is slowly learning English and getting better every day, but when she finally masters making dalgona she can’t wait to share it with her friends. Using speech bubbles to convey Binna’s frustration, her excited words don’t come out right and she feels overwhelmed and embarrassed that she can’t communicate how to make her Korean treat with her classmates. With the help of her older sister, she realizes these things take time and will get easier. Her classmates also support her and come over to make dalgona together. This book sweetly conveys a supportive environment for a classmate who is still learning language, and how even these small communication hiccups can be very emotionally difficult for a child. A recipe for dalgona is included in the backmatter, and you will be tempted to try it out.

Sundays are for Feasts by Leila Boukarim follows a child going to visit their parents’ homeland in the Middle East. The Middle Eastern country isn’t specified but our author grew up in Lebanon, this story is reflective of her experience. Yasmine is excited to spend the summer with her family, she offers to help prepare their Sunday feast, so her Jiddo (grandfather) suggests she makes the hummus. She is overwhelmed by having this task, what if her grumpy Ammo (uncle) doesn’t like it? Her Baba (dad) tells her she knows how to make hummus, and he is sure she will do a great job. We watch Yasmine prepare the chickpeas, think about how much garlic to use, and what are the other flavors? Tahini and lemon go into the blend and Yasmine makes sure to make it look right. Even after tasting Yasmine doesn’t think it is just right, her Baba says that is it Hummus á la Yasmine, and it is uniquely her recipe. Of course everyone enjoys it, and I love the important message of traditions being passed on and changed and made to be your own. The closing recipe for hummus has the traditional recipe but also suggestions of ingredients you can add to make it your own, like pesto.

The joy of plantains and the agony of patience when you are a child are warmly conveyed in Ripening Time by Patrice Gopo. Patrice is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, and this story reflects her childhood memories. At the grocery store, a young girl’s mom picks out a bunch of beautiful green plantains. While green plantains are delicious in their own way, these plantains will be fried by mama for a sweet treat. Sweet plantains need time to ripen. At home, the green plantains go into a hanging fruit basket and the wait begins. Mama says “a few more days” as the little girl tries to reach for the plantains, and as a kid you know that “just a bit longer” always seems like an eternity. We follow the plantains as they turn from green to a faint growing yellow. Finally on Sunday the plantains have at last ripened, and the sweet fried plantains are savored. Deep saturated colors make this a warm environment and will make you hungry. Of course, a recipe is included in the backmatter. Don’t miss this great title to learn about food, colors, and how sometimes a bit of patience really is worth it.

If you enjoy these titles, I have compiled a list of many others for you to add to your collection or maybe feature for a story time. Check them out here!

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