Food for All

For 4–7-year-olds it is interesting, exciting, and packed with knowledge — yet when an adult opens it, there is just as much information and fascination to discover.

Child or adult, every reader can learn a great deal from every page, and grown-ups — however old — are certain to find themselves saying, “I never knew that!”. The glossary is an excellent source of further information too, clearly explaining words that may be unfamiliar.

Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith have created another standout title in the Great Big Book series, fascinating in so many ways: the lively illustrations, the wealth of information, and the thoughtful care with which both writer and illustrator shape the book. Added to this, each double-page spread features a visitor from outer space who pops up to ask extra — often funny — questions for readers to think about. For example, the alien remarks, “Earthlings seem to like cookery books more than cooking.” How very true!

Across twenty engaging double-page spreads, the book explores a wide range of topics: how food is grown, what plants and animals need, how food reaches us, harvesting, shopping, and what we can eat. It also looks at ensuring a balanced diet, and explains processing, packaging, and global questions such as whether there is enough food for everyone and how we can support places where food is scarce. Issues like food waste and climate change are handled clearly, and the penultimate page explores how we might feed the world in the future. Readers may well pull faces at the idea of seaweed, bugs, or meat not made from animals! A glossary suitable for older primary children and adults concludes the book.

There is so much to think about here, and the final page — “Feed the world” — is especially powerful, reminding us that it is possible to feed everyone, as long as we take action and make changes.