WHAT'S SO YUMMY?

The fourth installment in Harris and Westcott’s Let’s Talk About You and Me series lives up to its predecessors’ achievements in its plain talk about health.

Biracial siblings Gus and Nellie add chatty, speech-balloon commentary to the narrative text’s informational content about good nutrition and exercise habits. Meanwhile, cartoonish art provides a multicultural urban backdrop for their sojourn to a city garden, farmers market and supermarket as they prepare for a picnic with their parents and baby brother. Along the way, they drink water to stay hydrated and get exercise by walking, bicycling and riding a scooter, and they stop for a healthy snack when they need one. Art and text alike present diverse preferences, cultural influences and lifestyles with regard to diet to offer a variety of healthy options while also identifying foods and drinks that are unhealthy. A helpful section on food allergies stops short of acknowledging the life-threatening potential of some such conditions, but it introduces and validates the serious health implications of allergies and gluten intolerance. Never shaming and always empowering, the book champions healthy choices as key to good living.

An informational title that seems good for you without being a pill to swallow.