The critically acclaimed Charlie and Lola books -- now an
animated series on television!
Lola is a fussy eater. A very fussy eater. She won?t eat her
carrots until her brother Charlie reveals that they?re orange
twiglets from Jupiter. She won?t eat her mashed potatoes until
Charlie explains that they?re cloud fluff from the pointiest peak
of Mount Fuji. There are many things Lola won?t eat, including -
and especially - tomatoes. Or will she? Two endearing siblings star
in a witty story about the triumph of imagination over
proclivity.
"Youngsters will never - not ever - pass up a second helping." -
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lola is a very fussy eater. Carrots are for rabbits and peas are
"too small and too green." One day, after rattling off her long
list of despised foods, she ends with the vehement pronouncement,
"And I absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato." Not convinced,
Lola''s older sister Charlie has an idea. She tells Lola that the
orange things on the table are not carrots, but "orange twiglets
from Jupiter" and peas are in fact "green drops from Greenland."
Mashed potatoes, when pitched as "cloud fluff from the pointiest
peak of Mount Fuji" suddenly seem appealing to Lola. And in the
end, might she even eat a tomato?
Lauren Child''s wacky, expressive sketches of Lola and Charlie
much like those in Clarice Bean, That''s Me are cut out and
superimposed on all sorts of textures and patterns from wallpaper
to wood. Fuzzy, enlarged photographs of bowls of peas, or fish
sticks, or big carrots are pasted right on top to great effect.
This funny, endearing look at how children''s tastes can be based
more on preconception than taste buds is sure to infuse levity into
the daily dinner-table struggle. The author''s dedication? "With
love from Lauren who is keen on Marmite but would rather not
eat a raisin." Ages 3 to 8 --Karin Snelson
Puts pressure on children to eat
The pop-ups in this book are cute and creative. While the writing
is kid-friendly and entertaining, it is makes a big deal about what
children don''t like and encourages them to refuse food on general
principles. Normally, children push themselves along to learn to
like the food their parents eat. Since a friend''s son, who is a
good eater, saw this video, he announces, "I will never not ever
eat a tomato!" Reading this book, children learn that 1 their
refusal to eat vegetables is a big deal and 2 to get around their
refusal, people they respect will lie to them. Why does Lola list
vegetable she won''t eat? To get others to BACK OFF, that''s why.
Undoubtedly, someone is all worried about her vegetable refusal and
trying to GET her to eat them. In the story, it is
Charlie--probably shown by his parents that part of feeding Lola is
getting her to eat vegetables. How does Charlie do it? By lying to
her. Carrots are orange twiglets from Jupiter, peas are green drops
from Greenland. I could go on. So naturally, Lola eats--and likes.
In your dreams! How dumb do we think she is? Like any other
self-respecting child, she will see through this subterfuge in a
flash! And become even more insistent about refusing to eat
vegetables. Leave the kid alone! Lola will learn to eat her
vegetables as long as her parents eat and enjoy them and stop
making an issue about it! Here is a better theme: Parents do the
what, when and where of feeding, children do the how much and
whether of eating. Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good
Sense