PICKY EATERS

Think all animals will eat just anything? Think again. Some animals will only eat some very specific foods. Welcome to the world of picky eaters!

Appealing mixed-media illustrations depict 10 different stylized, but easily recognizable, creatures: koalas, caterpillars, pandas, honeybees, whales, African egg-eating snakes, Arctic foxes, leatherback turtles, turkeys, and anteaters. Young children and their adult readers will have fun trying to guess what will satisfy these picky eaters before lifting the flap that reveals the answer. The flaps are playfully camouflaged as part of the scene: for instance a milkweed leaf for the caterpillar, a flipper for the leatherback turtle. Unfortunately, the honeybees do not bring food to a beehive but to what looks something like a wasps’ nest. The text, written in rhyming couplets—“African egg-eating snakes / swallow eggs as if they’re cakes”—adds to the read-aloud fun. Children learn about these animals and their eating habits within a vocabulary-rich context that does not speak down to them. The last spread challenges children not to stick to one food but to instead put something new on their plates. While some children might wonder why animals are allowed to be picky but not them, some parents will cheer at the suggestion.

An engaging introduction to the eating habits of a variety of animals that will keep young readers coming back for as long as the flaps last.