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Is your preschooler

for literature?
Then try 10 of our reading resources that they can really sink their teeth into:

1. Can your child eat their way through fruit, vegetables and treats just like the ‘The very hungry caterpillar’?
Entertain your child as you both follow the caterpillar on a journey through her lifecycle and transformation into
a beautiful butterfly whilst learning about counting and the days of the week. Illuminated Films (2016) have
produced a short animated film which is based on Eric Carle’s original story and images. You can watch this
online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY or borrow the film from your local library.

Eric Carle’s standout work is a beautifully illustrated piece of children’s literature which has entertained
children and adults since it was first published in 1969. The book has been adapted into a short digital video of
seven minutes which captures the same visual style of the original author illustrated work. The video which is
just as enjoyable in the digital format wondrously captures the hungry caterpillar’s travels and metamorphoses
into a butterfly.

Is your child hungry for more? Why not help your child make their own caterpillars, butterflies and tasty treats?
Just follow the suggestions and simple instructions on the official Eric Carle website (n.d.) at: http://www.eric-
carle.com/slideshow_collage.html.

2. Is your child a picky-eater? Then you both should join Lauren Child’s (2000) fictional characters ‘Charlie and
Lola’ as they use their imagination to overcome Lola’s fussy eating habits by re-inventing food in ‘I will not ever
never eat a tomato’. You might recognise the energetic and imaginative little girl Lola or her patient, kind and
helpful big brother Charlie from other stories or their popular television series. In this story Charlie convinces
Lola to eat her dinner by re-imagining each bite into an exciting adventure. Lola cooperates with Charlie’s
fantasy and before long all of her dinner has disappeared. For those children who are fussy eaters, this story
tackles the underlying issues of using creative thought to invent meals as grand adventures. You can borrow a
copy of this book from your local library.

Lauren Child is also the best-selling author illustrator of the ‘Clarice Bean’ series and
her work combines her creative talents for designing and her fascination with
childhood (BBC, 2005, “Lauren Child Biography”). She creates stories that focus on
the issues and emotions that younger children experience such as sleeping, eating,
guilt, envy and fear (BBC, 2005, “Interview with Lauren Child”).

If your child made a meal of that story, you could also watch the video episode of
Charlie and Lola’s ‘I will not ever never eat a tomato’ which was based upon Lauren
Child’s original story. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDsfgkn-tLE and follow along with Charlie and
Lola’s dinner adventures.

3. Feed your child’s imagination with ‘Cloudy with a chance of meatballs’ written by Judi Barrett and illustrated
by Ron Barrett, and wonder how different life could be if all our favourite foods could just drop from the sky.
This fictional classic was originally written in 1978 and dishes up lightweight fun as it follows the unpredictable
food weather of a small town called ‘Chewandswallow’ as the portion sizes raining down begin to grow,
become distasteful and cause mayhem. You can read along online at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p0jUrLS0mw.

Julie Barrett purely focuses on the enjoyment of reading within this book which was named one of the
‘Teachers’ top 100 books for children’ (National Education Association, n.d.) and ‘Top 100 picture books’ (Bird,
2012) of all time. Your preschool aged child will be transported to another time and place by the
accompanying illustrations which add detail and enhance the storytelling experience. Judi Barrett’s book has
also been reimagined into a motion picture of the same name.

4. Teach your child how vegetables grow and which parts are good to eat by reading Gail Gibbons’ (2017)
factual and descriptive book entitled ‘The vegetables we eat’. By reading this colourful and enjoyable story
with your child, they will quickly learn to recognise that good nutrition involves a variety of fresh produce. This
book is available in a variety of formats and does not diminish when listened to in
audio due to the rich, descriptive language that conveys the images to the listener and
potentially makes the book accessible to the visually impaired audience. You can
borrow a copy of this book or audio book from your local library.

Gail Gibbons (2012) is considered to be a master of children’s non-fiction genre and


America’s leading non-fiction author due to the sheer volume of books she has
created. She illustrates her own books and enjoys asking lots of questions and doing
research which enable her books to cover a wide variety of topics.

5. Explore your child’s food preferences by discussing the fictional eating habits of the
monsters in ‘Monsters don’t eat broccoli’. This rhythmic and entertaining story written by Barbara Jean Hicks
and illustrated by Sue Hendra in 2009 will satisfy your child’s appetite for the theatrical with its catchy chant
and outlandish plot. The narrative revolves around a group of unruly ‘monsters’ who would rather eat an
assortment of distasteful objects rather than eat broccoli. Read along with your child online at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD7JkqxwzJs to discover how the ‘monsters’ overcame their dislike for
vegetables.

6. Facilitate healthy eating and colour recognition by reading ‘Budburra’s garden: Eating colours’ (2013) with
your child. This Aboriginal story follows an echidna’s nutritional journey towards ‘eating a rainbow everyday’. It
features unique artworks the Cherbourg Yidding Community artists and children and was issued by Budburra
Books. Tasty recipes and information about bush tucker are included as extras
enclosures.

Budburra Books is a not-for-profit organisation that celebrates a love of learning


and literacy by creatively drawing on the cultural strengths, historical ties and
artistic skills within the Indigenous community. The books are designed to provide
Indigenous perspectives, embed cultural awareness, share local knowledge, and be
a supportive teaching tool that promotes strategies and skills to be employed
across a wide range of learning areas.

Is your child looking forward to a second helping? Now that you have learnt about different types of bush
tucker, why not help your child to draw their own using Aboriginal symbols? You can find an online printable
guide at: http://religioneightaspects.weebly.com/aboriginal-spirituality.html.

7. Serve your child additional literacy skills by reading ‘Eating the alphabet’. In Lois Ehlert’s original 1989 book
she introduces 75 different fruits and vegetables from around the world whilst teaching upper and lower case
letters. Your child will identify familiar food in every section and learn about new food through the bright
coloured illustrations with distinctive shapes. An alphabetical glossary has also been included within the book
which contains letters, miniatures, food classification, phonetic spelling and a brief history of the foods origin
and early use. Lois Ehlert has received numerous literary awards throughout her career as an author and
illustrator but she is well known for her unique and dynamic illustrations using found objects, fabrics and cut
outs (Lois Elhert Resource Guide, n.d.). You can read along online, from artichoke to zucchini at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BIhH2Ihejk.
Did your child find that delicious? Why not help your child to practise their letter identification skills by playing
Cookie Monster’s Alphabet soup at: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/sesame-interactive-alphabet-
soup/alphabet-soup-sesame-street/#.Wu-6M4iWTIX.

8. Nourish your child with information by reading ‘Lift-the-flap questions and answers about
food’ (2016) and discovering how much we really know about food in a fun and engaging
way. This interactive book written by Katie Daynes and illustrated by Peter Donnelly features
60 liftable flaps and answers many of the questions that curious children have about food
such as: where does my food go or why does cheese smell? Katie Daynes’ series of non-
fiction lift-the-flap question and answer books address topics that appeal to children such as:
time, nature, animals and how the body works. You can borrow this non-fiction book from
your local library.

9. Treat your child to Tomie dePaola’s fictional classic ‘Strega Nona’ which was originally written in 1975. This
didactic tale is set in Calabria in southern Italy and tells the story of a ‘Grandma Witch’ and her magical pasta
pot that gets misused by her overindulging apprentice Big Anthony, eventually leading to the whole town being
flooded with pasta. Named one of the ‘Top 100 picture books’ (Bird, 2012) of all time, ‘Strega Nona’ teaches
underlying moral messages such as: following instructions, respecting authority and accepting the
consequences of your choices in a light-hearted fashion (Sarah, 2010). You can read along online at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLuf93i0ZbM.

Is your child craving more multicultural dishes? Why not read along with ‘Bee-bim Bop!’ written by Linda Sue
Park and illustrated by Ho Baek Lee at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPLldfQqaTw. This energetic tale
was originally written in 2005 and follows a hungry child helping to make her favourite traditional Korean dish.
She accompanies her mother through the various steps of preparing a meal such as: shopping, priming the
ingredients, cooking, setting the table and finally sitting down to eat.

10. Cook up a feast together with ‘Gruffalo crumble and other recipes’ (2016). Written by
Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, who are famously known for their
Gruffalo series of books. Prepare your favourite Gruffalo themed treats such as: owl ice-
cream, scrambled snake, roasted fox and even Gruffalo crumble. Cooking can help
children to learn and practice basic mathematical concepts whilst building language skills
and laying the foundation for healthy eating habits (KidsHealth, 2014). This book is
overflowing with tasty snacks, sweets and simple meals, making it the perfect way to build
your preschooler’s self-confidence by introducing them to the world of adult assisted step-
by-step cooking and baking.

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