What Food Is This? - Hardcover

Hausherr, Rosmarie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 059046583X ISBN 13: 9780590465830

Publisher: Scholastic, 1994

Synopsis

A clever and informative collection of riddles about food offers not only plenty of fun but also interesting facts about where foods come from, how they grow, nutrition, the food groups and the food pyramid, and tips on healthy eating.

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Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Once again, Hausherr has taken a potentially dry and often-covered subject-nutrition, in this case-and used beautiful photographs and a witty, question-and-answer text to bring it to life. In large, full-color photos, a different child presents each of 18 eatables representing the 4 food groups. A simple question is printed beneath the picture, such as "What food comes from grass that an animal has eaten?," or "What food grows without seeing the sun?" The following page, illustrated with a black-and-white photo, answers the "riddle" and provides just enough additional information to enlighten readers. The author uses correct terminology, and italicized words can be found in a glossary. The engaging photographs give the book an overall charm not often found in tomes on the subject. The personal appeal is underlined in the tone of the text, which emphasizes the universality of the "food experience." Appended material includes a discussion of pollination, the food pyramid and groups, and a note for parents. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's Where Food Comes From (Holiday, 1991) covers similiar ground in a more traditional format.
Joyce Adams Burner, formerly at Spring Hill Middle School, KS
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Again, Hausherr (What Instrument Is This?, 1992) makes creative use of question-and-answer format, in this case to survey kinds of food. Each of 18 queries (``What food wears a fuzzy coat?'') is paired with a vibrant close-up color photo of a child posing with the food in question; on the verso is an informative b&w photo (harvesting peaches) plus a couple of brief but substantive paragraphs. Each featured food represents a particular type--e.g., vegetables of which we eat roots, stalks, flowers, or leaves, and those called vegetables that are really fruits (``the part of a plant that has seeds in it''); legumes; meat (``People called vegetarians do not eat meat for spiritual or health reasons''); etc. Five simple symbols (e.g., a glass of milk) reinforce the groups to which the foods belong (water, though unassigned, is termed ``the most important food''). A thoughtfully structured book that is particularly outstanding for its photos and in demonstrating to children how concepts can be derived from logically organized information. Glossary; food pyramid and detailed guide to nutrition, addressed to parents, with sensible tips for the ``pleasurable'' sharing of family meals. (Nonfiction. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 1-3. Similar in format to Hausherr's 1992 book What Instrument Is This? this uses a question and an appealing color photograph of a child to lure readers into learning about, in this case, the foods they eat. Flip over the page, and there's a nicely explicated answer to the question, coupled with a black-and-white photograph. "What sweet food grows on a thorny bush? Raspberries," writes Hausherr, which she explains with a few words about where and how they grow and how we use them. Occasionally the answer to a question encompasses more than one food, with the accompanying pictures, though not always individually labeled, showing the items named in the text. Terms are not always defined in the narrative, and although there is a glossary, its tiny print suggests that teachers (or parents) will use it more than children. The same is true of the food-guide pyramid and of the nutrition tips (these last are actually directed to parents) that round out matters. Despite that, children will enjoy thumbing through this very appealing looking book, and they'll learn a lot. But they'll come away best served if they have an adult helping them along. Stephanie Zvirin

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059046583X
• ISBN 13: 9780590465830
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40