How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen

Title: How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?

Author: Jane Yolen

Illustrator: Mark Teague

Reading Level: Ages 2 - 5

Hardcover: 40 Pages

Publisher: The Blue Sky Press

OK, Let me say this up front. My daughter and I are hard-core fans of "How Do Dinosaurs..." series and we devour any books Jane Yolen would whip up with a Dinosaur in it. More than anything, What really drew me toward this book was indeed the title and the cover. If you have a picky eater at home, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. DD started eating solid foods more consistently when she was about a year old. Unlike those toddlers who will gobble up anything served on their plates, She has always been a picky eater. She loves to play with food, but it ends there. In the past year, I have sprouted more white hairs on my head than ever before just by conjuring up some dishes to feed her. I've heard that some kids just survive on air, but I didn't believe it until I actually had one. She gets all squirmy and fidgety in a high chair and trying to feed her could be pretty challenging at times. Not to mention, the cleaning up of the mess later. With spaghetti tossed around everywhere and rice bowl dumped on the floor, it could be a pretty scary sight to watch her standing precariously in her high chair, with cheese and pasta sauce smeared not just on the face but all over her shirt as well. If only I could get a morsel of toast or a few strands of pasta down her throat, it would be all worth it. Isn't it? Well, toddlers at this stage love to pick and poke at food (and puke) and there isn't much one can do about it. So, How in the world do you make them eat their food, let alone teach table manners? For now, I am going to take it easy and let the dinosaurs take care of it :) 

Enough preamble there. So, How do you think the dinosaurs really eat their food? Do they burp, belch or make rude noises? Do they fuss or fidget or squirm in their chair? Do they stick beans up the nose or spit out broccoli partially chewed? By now, the little readers would be intrigued with the series of questions and want to know if the dinosaurs are any different from them. Well, it turns out that they are not that picky after all. They say "Please" and "Thank you" and eat up all their food with smiles and goodwill. They don't drop anything on the floor and ask for some more when they are all finished. With the beautiful eye-popping illustrations and a compelling story, your picky eater will have so much to relate with (and possibly learn from) this book. Go ahead and try it!! 

My Rating: 5/5