Making Connections Through Food Picture Books
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written by author Jill Dana
Food connects us all. It’s something we need every day. A favorite food or an undiscovered, new food within a title (or in the book cover art) can catch a young reader’s eye. In this food picture book list, there’s a food name in every book title.
Food books come in a variety of flavors. I love funny, punny food books (and there are many wonderful ones out there), but this list displays a wider smorgasbord of food-themed books.
As well as an introduction to the books, I’ve included themes or connections parents and educators can build on for curricular and life lessons. Many of these themes overlap, and the books fit into more than one category.
Warning: Reading on will make you hungry. I hold no responsibility for all the deliciousness ahead.
Food Books for Kids
Family Connections Through Food
In DIM SUM, HERE WE COME!, the main character’s family meets weekly at a dim sum restaurant. We get to experience it with her. The text and illustrations are active and filled with vibrancy and life. Like all these food-themed books, readers might discover dim sum through this book or connect with foods that they’ve eaten many times. Themes include sharing, family reunions, traditions, and more. The illustrations are absolutely adorable and the food looks delicious! The book is filled with thoughtful details like end papers with full plates (in the book opening) and empty plates (in the closing end papers). Truly delightful from beginning to end!
Community Connections Through Food:
BRING BACK THE BABKA! is a fun story of food and community. When Mama’s babka goes missing, Sol and Sammy go from house to house in search of the missing sweet braided bread. At each house, neighbors share a variety of foods including desserts for the boys to bring home for Shabbat dinner. In turn, the boys invite the neighbors to the dinner. The back matter describes the foods and notes that they are from Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Jewish traditions. Plus, there’s a recipe for ‘Mama’s Missing Babka!’. Recipes in books are a great way for students to learn about expository language, while making connections to literature. Are you wondering what happened to the babka? The answer is amusing, just like the rest of this imaginative book.
Connections to Nature Through Food:
BERRY SONG is a stunningly beautiful book! The main character takes us on a berry-picking song-filled journey while connecting with nature, ancestors, and future generations. In the rich back matter, Michaela Goade shares personal experiences, traditions, and lessons from the Tlingit nation. A must-read!
Intergenerational Connections Through Food:
PLÁTANOS ARE LOVE is a gorgeous book that reflects on the intergenerational connections to plátanos and plátanos recipes. The main character and Abuela buy plátanos from the market and they make delicious recipes together. Abuela shares stories of their ancestors. The illustrations of past and present generations are interwoven into the book beautifully. Plus, the main character creates something poignant and meaningful for her and her family’s future, too. (Read the book to discover what.) The back matter includes recipes, perfect for expository learning, and creating your own connections through food. Also available in Spanish.
Connections Through Cooking:
In ABUELITA AND I MAKE FLAN, the main character’s plans to make flan for Abuelo’s birthday are interrupted when she accidentally breaks a plate. This isn’t just any plate. It’s a special plate that Abuelita brought with her from Cuba. This vibrant book is filled with wonderful energy. The love between grandparents and grandchildren is so beautifully reflected in both the art and text. When the flan is ready to be flipped on to the special plate, the main character confesses… Once again, the grandparents’ love shines through in their responses. The back matter includes a cheese flan recipe. Plus, there are photos of the author-illustrator’s abuelita in Miami and abuelo in Cuba. A pure delight! Also available in Spanish.
Remembrance Through Food:
REMEMBERING MOM’S KUBBAT HALAB is a beautiful, heartfelt book about Bushra’s emotional journey as she grieves her mom. Her grief is reflected in her longing for her favorite meal, her mom’s kubbat halab. No one else’s kubbat halab tastes quite like her dayik’s. We see Bushra process her grief through cooking with her father and brother, eating together, and finally feeling her mother’s presence with her. The text and illustrations sensitively address this deep and meaningful topic. The back matter includes a note from the author about kubbat halab and her recipe.
Connections Through Eating:
In MANGO MEMORIES, the main character’s family all share their special and unique memories with mangos. The main character wants to create her very own mango memory. I love how kind and supportive her family is during her emotional journey. And does she find her own mango memory? She does, and it has something to do with eating. Did you know mangoes are India’s national fruit? The back matter includes mango facts and the author’s own “mango memories”. The illustrations are so warm, expressive, and beautiful.
Learning Concepts Through Food:
Speaking of illustrations, the adorable, active, enthusiastic peas in the modern-day classic LMNO PEAS are such a joy to view! As humans, we have a universal connection to food, which makes food pull us in. What a great way to teach lessons like the alphabet, develop vocabulary, and teach alliteration to young readers! Plus, peas are small, round, and cute, which many young readers can connect with. Personally, the peas remind me of the doozers from Fraggle Rock. They’re energetic and always ready to go, go, go.
Showing Persistence Through Baking:
In COOKIE QUEEN: HOW ONE GIRL STARTED TATE’S BAKESHOP, Kathleen persists until she creates the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Young readers will be inspired by the non-fiction story of Kathleen King’s trial-and-error baking, researching, and selling cookies to create a farm stand cookie business. As we learn in the back matter, these childhood entrepreneurial endeavors were the foundation for her hugely successful, cookie company in the future.
Friendship Connections Through Anthropomorphized Food:
In the third Butternut book, BUTTERNUT & THE FLYING BUTTER, Butternut, a young squash, hears that the Spring Plant Show is coming to the supermarket world. There’s one big problem: the show is in front of the store, and Butternut is afraid to go through the sliding glass doors. Like all the Butternut books, Butternut seeks advice from his store-mates. He learns techniques to help manage his fear so he can see the “flying butter”. But is the “flying butter” what he thinks it is?
All of these picture books are multi-layered with many opportunities for educational connections, whether cultural, geographic, literary, SEL, food varieties, recipes, food origins, historical ties, and more.
I hope that this list is helpful for creating lesson plans and building connections for young readers. Additionally, reading for joy, entertainment, and promoting empathy for yourself and others are all paramount for developing a love of reading. (I appreciate how these are encouraged on this amazing site.) I hope one or more of these delectable (and sometimes mouth-watering) books encourage young readers to want to read more and more.
About Jill Dana
Jill Dana loves gardens, especially the garden in her backyard. She loves to discover new blooms and little creatures. Jill hopes the BUTTERNUT books plant the seeds for joy, creativity, and compassion in readers of all ages. Jill holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production and a Master of Education in Elementary Education plus TESOL. She is a member of @PictureBookGold, @PBSunrays, SCBWI, and a Rate Your Story judge. Learn more about Jill at www.JillDanaBooks.com and @JillDanaBooks.
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