Read Up! Fanciful Eating

 Gathering together the books I'd set aside for this new edition of "Read Up," I discovered they all had a common thread: eating.  No, they are not really so much about food--and I don't care too much about theming--but there it is.  What I love about the coincidence is that the introductory paragraph this time practically writes itself!  So here are some great books for you to check out:

The Boy from the Dragon Palace

Margaret Read MacDonald & Sachiko Yoshikawa

A poor flower seller scatters his unsold flowers on the sea one day, as a gift for the Dragon King.  To thank the man, the Dragon King gives him a gift: a boy.  A snot-nosed little boy.  The boy has terrible table manners—and did I mention a snotty nose?  The amazing thing is, every blow of his nose seems to grant a wish—but will the flower seller be able to excuse the grossness of it all?  The story carries a lesson, and a lot of laughs—but I find it hard to read aloud without keeping a tissue handy!

 

The Giant Carrot

Jan Peck & Barry Root

(Previously mentioned here) It takes family teamwork to have a successful vegetable garden—but what can a tiny little girl do?  HUGE things, it turns out!  Everyone does their part, and everyone reaps huge rewards.  And like all good books with food as the subject, this one has a recipe in the back!

 

Beware of the Frog

William Bee

What’s a sweet little old lady to do when monsters come out of the woods to threaten her?  Her hungry frog can help!  This funny story is short, silly, and very surprising.

The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers

Lisa Campbell Ernst

A sequel to a twist, this book shows the late Gingerbread Boy’s little sister acquiring a zoo—of animal crackers.  They run away as fast as they can, of course.  Will the fox eat them up?  Make sure your child knows the original gingerbread tale before you read this one—and then snuggle up with a box of animal cookies while you read up!

Go to your local library's website right now, reserve these books, and let me know what you think.  And as always, if you have any favorite books, I'd like to hear about them!