"I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks. I think eating is nice." ~Albert, a friend of Frances, toward the end of Russell Hoban's Bread and Jam for Frances
I have fond memories of reading this particular picture book with my children. As there are many picky eaters in this world, it has wide appeal.
If you're the parent of a child who wants to eat the same thing every day, or worse, for every meal and snack, like Frances does, you've got to get your hands on this book! Well, if you haven't already. It's not like it's a new one. Oldies are goodies, though, aren't they? We've got to keep them alive and kicking.
I think Bread and Jam for Frances is the perfect book to start out a series on healthy eating, and so I am excited to tell you that after putting picture books on the shelf for a while now (remember the post, Putting the Pieces of Moms Inspire Learning Together?), I will be immersing myself in them once again.
My children may have outgrown picture books long ago, but I don't think I ever will! They're like bread and jam chocolate to me, and I could never get tired of them. They're not my only reading materials! Far from it, actually.
When time is limited and I need a little pick-me-up, picture books are the perfect snack for the mind. Anyone who thinks they're just for little kids has obviously not picked one up in a very long time.
And so, like the healthy cookbooks that line my bookshelves, children's literature has a prominent place there as well. And always will.
Food choices and books selections are probably the two things I spend most of my time on. After all, for the healthiest body and mind, you really can't feed yourself garbage. There's a lot of that out there these days.
And so, I am a healthy eater and an avid reader. Or, you could say I'm a picky eater and a persnickety reader. The two go hand in hand, don't you think?
I can't help but change this quote a little:
"I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches books and breakfasts magazines and dinners blogs and snacks web sites. I think eating reading is nice."
I'd like to thank Frances for reminding me that life is all about the choices we make. As the world seems to be moving ahead at lightning speed, we all have to find creative ways to slow it down and smell the roses cookies once in a while.
That's certainly what J.K. Rowling did. And so I'll end with one of her quotes:
“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
You can find part 2 here.
