Portion Size Me

April 1, 2012

Tired of being overweight and bullied at school, ten-year-old Marshall Reid embarked on a monthlong journey to be healthy. Inspired by the movie Super Size Me, Marshall and his mom, Alexandra Reid, decided to make some lifestyle changes, including eating real (i.e., unprocessed) food, reading ingredients on packages, exercising, helping out in the kitchen, and watching portion sizes. These changes not only resulted in improved physical fitness for Marshall but also helped him overcome emotional eating. Not a diet plan, this book is instead part cookbook and part inspirational journal, coupled with food factoids, culinary information, and URLs for videos of Marshall ("Watch Marshall compare juice boxes"). Each page is dedicated to a day of the Reids' journey, followed by ten days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Recipes are kid friendly and mostly appealing (e.g., Cuban Black Beans, Homemade Granola), with a few exceptions (Angel Hair & Yogurt). Surprisingly, no nutritional information or serving sizes are given. VERDICT While this title won't solve the childhood obesity problem, the child-parent viewpoint and the Reids' success story may encourage kids and families to make more healthful eating choices.--Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.