I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

Rating:
Summary: Hate tomatoes in Florida
Review: "I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny" These opening lines set the sweet and gentle tone for a tale about two sisters. One (Lola) with a very long list of foods she will not eat, and the other (Charlie) with the task of feeding dinner to her fussy little sister.

It could be a recipe for disaster -- I'm certain this situation would have played out quite differently with me and MY little sister -- but Charlie's creativity and sense of fun save the day.

My seven-year old fussy eater nearly fell out of his chair laughing when we read this book. He clearly identified with, and enjoyed, Lola and her reasoning (for example, peas are "too small" and "too green"). While I'm pretty sure my son will not change his eating habits because of this story, it did give him a sense that he is not alone in the world with his funky tastes while reinforcing the idea that his tastes may change.

Great story, cute illustrations, good lesson.

Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Book to Share With Your Fussy Eater
Review: "I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny" These opening lines set the sweet and gentle tone for a tale about two sisters. One (Lola) with a very long list of foods she will not eat, and the other (Charlie) with the task of feeding dinner to her fussy little sister.

It could be a recipe for disaster -- I'm certain this situation would have played out quite differently with me and MY little sister -- but Charlie's creativity and sense of fun save the day.

My seven-year old fussy eater nearly fell out of his chair laughing when we read this book. He clearly identified with, and enjoyed, Lola and her reasoning (for example, peas are "too small" and "too green"). While I'm pretty sure my son will not change his eating habits because of this story, it did give him a sense that he is not alone in the world with his funky tastes while reinforcing the idea that his tastes may change.

Great story, cute illustrations, good lesson.

Rating:
Summary: Hate tomatoes in Florida
Review: I love this book. It is silly and keeps our daughters attention. She is 3 and loves it!!!

Rating:
Summary: Deliciously Funny & Bound to be Remembered!
Review: In this adventure featuring Charlie & Lola, Charlie needs to give his fussy sister dinner.
There are lists and lists of things which Lola despises, and heading the list is Tomatoes.
Charlie ingeniously talks her round, presenting food with absurd names, and Lola finds it so funny she happily plays along, and playing a prank on Charlie in the end of the book she suggests she try one of those red shiny things "oh you didn't think it was a TOMATO did you charlie? I would never ever eat a TOMATO no, this is a MOONSQUIRTER"

It is so funny and my 3yr old and I had such fun reading it that ever since he has been referring to tomato's as Moonsquirters, and all the other silly names they think up in the book.

Very creativly illustrated, with collage techniques and lots of wonderful swirly curly writing, and delightful cut out photo's applied.

Highly recommended, ages 3-8

Kotori - [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Super book!
Review: It has great pictures, and the book is about a little girl named Lola who is a very fussy eater. Lola learns about fruits and vegetables. Her sister Charlie tells her that they are different things and from different places. Lola tries everything and ends up liking them all. I would suggest this book for kids under the age of 7.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing read!
Review: Lola is a very fussy eater, with a long list of food items that she doesn't eat. Topping that list are tomatoes, which she "absolutely will never not ever eat." But big brother Charlie hits on an ingenious plan to get Lola to eat the things on her "veto" list. The carrots, he says, are not carrots but "orange twiglets from Jupiter." Intrigued, Lola tries them and likes them. Charlie turns peas, mashed potato, and fish sticks into similarly imaginative things, with the same result. Child uses mixed media to illustrate the humorous interaction between the siblings-a successful combination of photographs and hand drawings. Different fonts indicate emphasis and highlight the despised food items. Wavy and colored lines of text provide variety and added interest. The language is suitable for reading aloud to preschoolers. Child presents an amusing take on picky eaters, and the ending shows that Lola might not have been completely ignorant of Charlie's ploy.

Rating:
Summary: Play Along with the Joke!
Review: Many young children don't like tomatoes. Some retain that distaste into adulthood. This story shows that stated fussiness about food can simply be a way of getting attention. Parents: Pay attention to this story! The colorful collages of photographs and childlike drawings bring excitement and freshness to the story.

Lola is a "small and very fussy" eater. Charlie is assigned by their parents to feed Lola.

Lola begins to expound her theories:

"carrots are for rabbits"

"peas are too small and too green"

Lola goes on to list peas, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, spaghetti, eggs, sausages, cauliflower, cabbage, baked beans, bananas, and oranges as banned items. She also notes her reservations about apples, rice, cheese, and fish sticks. "And I absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato." Sounds like peanut butter and jelly are coming up to me.

Then Charlie attacks directly by putting out some carrots. Lola looks at them and says, "Then why are those carrots there, Charlie?"

"Those are orange twiglets from Jupiter," says Charlie.

"Mmm, not bad," Lola replied, "and took another bite."

Charlie puts out peas and describes them as "green drops from Greenland" and Lola finds them "quite tasty."

Mashed potatoes become "cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji," and Lola decides "I love to eat clouds."

Fish sticks become "ocean nibbles from the supermarket under the sea -- mermaids eat them all the time." Lola wants to know if she can have more.

Suddenly Lola turns the tables, "Charlie, will you pass me one of those?" Lola continued, "Yes, of course, moonsquirters are my favorite." "You didn't think they were tomatoes, did you, Charlie?"

Obviously, Lola knows that they are playing a game, and she likes it. The new game seems like more fun than laying down the law about what she will and won't eat. The game puts her in charge by letting her name the foods, as well as her usual game of saying what she will not eat. Charlie makes room for Lola to assert herself, and all is well.

With children, there is a tendency to treat them like subjects of a King or a Queen. Actually, they feel quite grown up at a young age and want to have some autonomy. Choice of foods can simply be a testing of limits. But all children would rather have fun, and can easily be distracted by making the potential confrontation into a game, instead. This book eloquently makes that point, and ensures many more peaceful hours in many households.

After you finish reading the story, you should think about where else you can kid your child out of her or his bad mood. Come to think of it, when will that approach work with adults as well?

Look for the potential to improve every communication!

Rating:
Summary: This book is magic!
Review: Thanks to the mealtime antics of Charlie and Lola, my kids now ask every day if they can eat carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and peas. It's magic!

The books' pictures, typesetting and storyline are all fantastic, whether you are a child or adult. This and 'My Uncle is a Hunkle', also by Lauren Child, became instant favourites with the pre-schoolers and the adults the minute they entered our house.

Rating:
Summary: Great addition to your child's "library"!
Review: What a cute story! Charlie is in charge of little sister Lola and decides to play a trick on her. With Charlie giving silly names to foods that Lola claims she doesn't like, Lola plays along and tastes foods she has insisted she will never, ever eat. My 6-1/2 year old loves this book; it's a bit too old for my almost 3-year old.

What I like best about this book are the real photographs of the foods (peas, carrots, fish sticks, etc.) that are incorporated into the fun cartoon illustrations.

This is a engaging, slightly offbeat story which makes it stand out from the zillions of other children's books out there.

Rating:
Summary: Food for Thought
Review: When Charlie's little sister Lola refuses to eat, he invents imaginative scenarios to persuade her to eat foods she'd rather not. Carrots become orange twigs from Jupiter and mashed potatoes become cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji in this precocious romp through dinner time with a finicky eater. The text builds on a patterned list of foods that Lola won't eat until Charlie counteracts each item and Lola herself gets into the act. Child's vivid collage illustrations layer colored pencil people over wallpaper, tile, wood, textiles, photographs, and simple sketches to create scenes as silly and precocious as the characters themselves. Excellent for use in food-based story times or classroom activities. A delight for picky eaters of all ages! Ages 4-8.