Play With Your Food

This week I got something a little different from the library.  A book filled with pictures of food that look like animals. Surprisingly it was located in the cookbook section and I have to say, I am glad that I found it!

Play With Your Food written by Joost Elffers

This is a picture book highlighting fruits and vegetables that look like animals. The author/artist has scoured farmer’s markets and road side stands to find unique looking produce that has animal like characteristics. He searches specifically for pieces that only need minimal alterations in order to appear life like. He then adds eyes, or ears, or legs to enhance the look. The author uses vegetables like peppers, sweet potatoes, and squash. And, he uses fruits like pineapple, cherries, and pears. These he turns into mice, elephants, insects, and birds.  And, after having fun with the food, he eats it!

This book was enjoyable to look at. My kids have poured over it many times in the last couple of weeks. And, I think that it would be a great idea to take my kids to the farmer’s market to allow them to choose a piece of fruit or a vegetable to turn into their own animal creation. Finicky palates just might be more willing to try something new if it looked like a turtle or a teddy bear. So, if you have young children or picky eaters, you would enjoy this book. And, what a helpful tool to get your kids to eat their veggies!

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