Come and Eat!

May 9, 2011
In a small, square-format book about kinds of food and ways of eating, bright photographs set within circular and rectangular frames depict children and adults eating alone, in groups, on the go, and in formal celebrations. Three workers eat simple lunches in the back of a pickup truck; a Japanese boy slurps noodles from a bowl; children roast marshmallows around a fire; and Nigerian diners sit on the floor to eat fufu, a cassava root paste. Ancona includes details about the cultures represented in each photograph ("Muslim friends remove their shoes to kneel on beautiful rugs to pray before sharing a meal"), providing not only a discussion about food diversity but also an intimate, globe-trotting tour. Ages 5â8.

July 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-In this photo essay, Ancona takes readers on a culinary trip around the world. Different eating habits, celebrations, and foods are discussed. For example, people in India use two fingers and a thumb to eat. In Japan, long noodles are sucked up and swallowed. Tibetans eat meat dumplings known as momos. Muslim men and boys usually eat together on one rug, while women and girls dine on another. For Mexicans, "a tortilla can serve as a plate, a spoon, and even a napkin." The informational text is complemented by large, colorful photographs of people partaking of their meals and sharing festive celebrations. Pair this title with Patricia Lauber's What You Never Knew About Fingers, Forks, & Chopsticks (S & S, 1999), which looks at the development of eating implements from the Stone Age to current times. Come and Eat! is a worthy addition to most collections.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

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