If you give a dog a donut...?

August 21, 2012 8:09 PM

Pre-school filter: I'm looking for children's books about food.

My wife is putting together a co-op pre-school with some other parents in the neighborhood. One of the things they want to do is an "author series", where a children's book author is introduced and then some of their books are read to the kiddies over time.

My wife and I are big fans of anything food-related and think it would be trés cool to find an author whose books focused on food in some consistent way. Laura Numeroff's "If you give..." series is a good starting example.

Of course single books are fine too.

posted by Doleful Creature to education (22 answers total)

My nephew loved Yum Yum Dim Sum.
posted by Melismata at 8:12 PM on August 21, 2012

You could go with Eric Carle and use The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Pancakes Pancakes .
posted by true at 8:18 PM on August 21, 2012

two of my childhood favorites: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and Scrambled Eggs Super
posted by quiteliterally at 8:37 PM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Michigan Team Nutrition Preschool booklist
posted by wherever, whatever at 8:37 PM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

The Giant Jam Sandwich
posted by freshwater at 8:50 PM on August 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Strega Nona was one of my favorites as a kid.
posted by SisterHavana at 8:52 PM on August 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice, In The Night Kitchen, and even Where the Wild Things Are (we'll eat you up we love you so!)
posted by Mchelly at 8:58 PM on August 21, 2012

+1 for Strega Nona. It was one of my favorites, and our 3.5 year old *loves* it.
posted by colin_l at 8:59 PM on August 21, 2012

Green Eggs and Ham
posted by Ideefixe at 9:02 PM on August 21, 2012

Came in to suggest Strega Nona and add Possum Magic although the foods and animals may be unfamiliar for your kiddies. Very cute though!
posted by Trivia Newton John at 9:04 PM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

My kids love Gyo Fujikawa's Let's Eat. I loved it when I was little and had to hunt it down for them.
posted by artychoke at 9:09 PM on August 21, 2012

The Night Kitchen?
posted by elizardbits at 9:10 PM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yum yum dim sum is good, but My First Book Of Sushi is better!

"Miso in my sippy cup
Tofu in my bowl
Crab and avocado fill my California roll
I'll take yellowtail hamachi
And a red maguro slice
Big, big futomaki
Has so many grains of rice!"

Why yes, I can still recite it.

She's got a bunch of books about various ethnic foods. Sushi and dim sum are my favorite, in part because she doesn't assume you're part of the ethnic group whose food it is.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:48 PM on August 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Lois Ehlert has a number of books about food: Growing Vegetable Soup, Eating the Alphabet...
posted by amapolaroja at 10:35 PM on August 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers use food to illustrate neat stories.
posted by oceano at 10:44 PM on August 21, 2012

Some ideas:
Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley
All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman
posted by momochan at 4:25 AM on August 22, 2012

Norah Dooley also has "Everybody Brings Noodles," "Everybody Bakes Bread," and "Everybody Serves Soup."

For single books, I always loved Gregory, the Terrible Eater. I also love How are you peeling? but it's not a story book.
posted by that's how you get ants at 4:49 AM on August 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

Dim Sum for Everyone
The Ugly Vegetables
Where on Earth Is My Bagel
from Grace Lin

Yoko by Rosemary Wells (plot revolves around Sushi)

both authors have a lot of books if you then wanted to build up a series around them.
posted by mikepop at 5:20 AM on August 22, 2012

Susan Meddaugh's Martha books are about a dog who can speak after she eats alphabet soup. PBS picked it up for a show and there are several "based on the characters by". Get the originals, which have been collected into one volume.
posted by brujita at 6:38 AM on August 22, 2012

Another good Eric Carle book is Today Is Monday, which features a different meal for each day of the week. As a bonus it's a cumulative song-- the music is in the book.
posted by Marit at 7:42 AM on August 22, 2012

I'd Really Like to Eat a Child is adorable. It's about a baby crocodile who wants to eat a child, but his parents say he has to eat regular food (can't remember what - sandwiches?) first. He refuses, and finds a child, who through a trick of perspective turns out to be ten times bigger than him (he is a baby), and flicks him away. Then he realizes he has to eat regular food if he ever wants to get big enough.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:19 PM on August 22, 2012

Bread and Jam for Frances.
posted by ariadne's threadspinner at 5:58 PM on August 22, 2012 [1 favorite]