Seven Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the Cafeteria: A funny picture book where Kyle imagines lunch ladies and big kids as giant insects―until he conquers cafeteria fears

Addressing kids' anxiety about unfamiliar situations, this irreverent book lists and explains the rules a kid must follow to survive the perilous world of the school cafeteria. Warnings about the pitfalls lurking in the lunchroom have Kyle imagining and fearing the worst, as the server, the lunch ladies, the cashier, and the menacing big kids become terrifying giant insects in his eyes. Kyle inadvertently breaks every rule but winds up enjoying his lunch—and overcoming his fears.

Michael Allen Austin is the award-winning illustrator of several children's books, including Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Bus. Publishers Weekly has exclaimed that his illustrations are "wild and wily," and Booklist has called his art "unusual and exuberant." He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Kim, and their sheepdog, Riley. Visit him online at austinillustration.com and on Instagram @michaelallenaustin.