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Welcome to Our Table: A Celebration of What Children Eat Everywhere
Find out what children eat all around the world in this beautifully illustrated book, written by bestselling poet and author Laura Mucha, alongside trained chef and food writer Ed Smith. From biltong to biryani, papaya to passionfruit, and ramen to roti, there are so many different dishes and delicacies all around the world. In this fascinating book, young children can learn all about what people in other countries eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as where our food comes from, and the stories, cultures, and traditions behind what we eat. A unique, warm-hearted book that will teach children understanding, empathy, and respect, and inspire a love of food and flavor. With engaging, colorful artwork on every page by award-winning illustrator Harriet Lynas.
Hardcover
Published June 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 31, 2024
Fantastic book that talks about food from around the world. Many words foreign to English speakers have pronunciation guides that are easy to read but are specific to American English. Lots of different foods are covered, and all are covered positively: offal, organ meat, and crickets are all given the same respect as a hamburger, and while there is a page on stinky food, it's not implied that these foods are actually disgusting to eat (even though they might smell bad). This book also covers some topics beyond just food, including overfishing, ethical food consumption (and how that might look different for different people), factory farming, future food (e.g. lab grown meat) and how our sense of taste can keep us safe.
In terms of representation, I counted the number of times regions or countries were mentioned (only regarding food. I did not count mentions using the language, as when they mention how to say "have a good meal" in different languages). The categories I used will be problematic for one reason or another (e.g. I put Mongolia in with East instead of Central Asia, as the food represented was more similar to East Asian food, or that I lumped all of Latin America [excluding Caribbean islands] together), but this breakdown should give some idea of how well different regions were represented.
Europe had the most mentions, with 28%, but the heavyweights were Italy and France. East Asia had 14% of mentions, Southeast Asia had 12%, and Central Asia/Middle East/North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa both had 10% each. 9% of mentions were from Latin America, 7% were South Asia, 4% were from North America, and the Caribbean and Oceania both had 3% of mentions. I'm not unhappy about North America here since American and Canadian food rely heavily on dishes from many other cultures, but it would have been nice to see some Indigenous dishes from these places.
Overall, I thought this book was fantastic, is a great way to learn about foods from around the world, is a great introduction to some food-related issues for kids, and I am leaving this book feeling very hungry for a lot of interesting dishes. For adults reading this with your kids, pair with Salt, Fat, Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat for some good info about cooking ingredients and techniques from around the world.
In terms of representation, I counted the number of times regions or countries were mentioned (only regarding food. I did not count mentions using the language, as when they mention how to say "have a good meal" in different languages). The categories I used will be problematic for one reason or another (e.g. I put Mongolia in with East instead of Central Asia, as the food represented was more similar to East Asian food, or that I lumped all of Latin America [excluding Caribbean islands] together), but this breakdown should give some idea of how well different regions were represented.
Europe had the most mentions, with 28%, but the heavyweights were Italy and France. East Asia had 14% of mentions, Southeast Asia had 12%, and Central Asia/Middle East/North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa both had 10% each. 9% of mentions were from Latin America, 7% were South Asia, 4% were from North America, and the Caribbean and Oceania both had 3% of mentions. I'm not unhappy about North America here since American and Canadian food rely heavily on dishes from many other cultures, but it would have been nice to see some Indigenous dishes from these places.
Overall, I thought this book was fantastic, is a great way to learn about foods from around the world, is a great introduction to some food-related issues for kids, and I am leaving this book feeling very hungry for a lot of interesting dishes. For adults reading this with your kids, pair with Salt, Fat, Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat for some good info about cooking ingredients and techniques from around the world.
August 17, 2023
A great book for children for all ages. My 3year old loves reading it and learning new words for food, and as she gets older it will be fun to make some of the dishes together. Beautiful illustrations, lots of information, for both kids and adults.
October 3, 2024
Big thanks to PubSpotlight for the gifted copy of Welcome to Our Table! 📚💖
This beautifully illustrated book is not just something you read—it’s an experience 🌍🍽️. Welcome to Our Table! takes you on a vibrant journey around the world, introducing kids to all kinds of amazing dishes from papaya in South America to ramen in Japan. The fun facts and colorful, inclusive illustrations make it such a joy to flip through. My kids especially loved the pronunciation guides for some of the more unfamiliar foods (crickets, anyone?! 🦗), learning about different cultures through the lens of food, or expanding their vocabulary through new languages - Did you know while we say “Enjoy your meal” the French say “Bon Appétit!” and in Ukraine they say “Keu a ka óno!”.
One thing that really stood out to me was how this book treats every type of food with respect, whether it’s a stinky cheese or lab-grown meat. It’s a great way to get children thinking about ethical food choices, sustainability, and appreciating flavors from all over the world. 🌱🍜
In our house, we already explore world cuisines through our RadDish subscription (which has been such a fun way to cook with the kids), but this book really expanded our appreciation for the stories and traditions behind the dishes. It's the perfect companion to keep the cooking adventures going! 🍽️
This beautifully illustrated book is not just something you read—it’s an experience 🌍🍽️. Welcome to Our Table! takes you on a vibrant journey around the world, introducing kids to all kinds of amazing dishes from papaya in South America to ramen in Japan. The fun facts and colorful, inclusive illustrations make it such a joy to flip through. My kids especially loved the pronunciation guides for some of the more unfamiliar foods (crickets, anyone?! 🦗), learning about different cultures through the lens of food, or expanding their vocabulary through new languages - Did you know while we say “Enjoy your meal” the French say “Bon Appétit!” and in Ukraine they say “Keu a ka óno!”.
One thing that really stood out to me was how this book treats every type of food with respect, whether it’s a stinky cheese or lab-grown meat. It’s a great way to get children thinking about ethical food choices, sustainability, and appreciating flavors from all over the world. 🌱🍜
In our house, we already explore world cuisines through our RadDish subscription (which has been such a fun way to cook with the kids), but this book really expanded our appreciation for the stories and traditions behind the dishes. It's the perfect companion to keep the cooking adventures going! 🍽️
June 12, 2024
What a great book for foodies out there. This book is for older children. It's packed with facts about food. There is no story and the pages are filled with text. This could be read a few pages a night or for some serious kids, or a kid with a report to write.
They really go into food and where it comes from and how it's made. They go into cuts of meat, fish, veggies vs fruits, rice, potatoes. This thing is packed with information about what is on our table and how it's made. They go into pasta and bread.
The book is great int hat it talks about food from all over the world and gives a peek into cultures all around the world. It shows how food spreads all across the globe as well. We need pasta is 4,000 years old thanks to a bowl of noodles dug up in China. They offer some cools things in this book.
The artwork is cute and does keep it light. The food does look tasty and I'm hungry now. A great book to learn. I would use it before meals to get the appetite stimulated.
They really go into food and where it comes from and how it's made. They go into cuts of meat, fish, veggies vs fruits, rice, potatoes. This thing is packed with information about what is on our table and how it's made. They go into pasta and bread.
The book is great int hat it talks about food from all over the world and gives a peek into cultures all around the world. It shows how food spreads all across the globe as well. We need pasta is 4,000 years old thanks to a bowl of noodles dug up in China. They offer some cools things in this book.
The artwork is cute and does keep it light. The food does look tasty and I'm hungry now. A great book to learn. I would use it before meals to get the appetite stimulated.
May 28, 2025
I've wanted this for school since it first came out! Thank you to Nosy Crow for the copy I received. This was a The Week Junior book awards winner in 2024 and it isn't hard to see why.
The illustrations throughout are superb.
The details about each type of food and where they are eaten is fun to learn. I mean on the Eat Your greens page it tell us about teh different types of green vegetable and where it is eaten - I have never heard of Jute Mallow but in Egpyt they use it for soup and it grows very tall. Cabbage on the other hand is eaten all over the world. And I love the spice page, I use some of them regularly! Did you know that "Potatoes are the world's third most eaten ingredient." Guess that's not hard to imagine - who doesn't love a potato dish - mash, chips, gnocchi...
Pronunciation guides for lots of words - believe me I need it too!
I love this book, can't wait to add to our library. This is a paperback copy on which the retail price is £9.99, for this that's a bargain!
The illustrations throughout are superb.
The details about each type of food and where they are eaten is fun to learn. I mean on the Eat Your greens page it tell us about teh different types of green vegetable and where it is eaten - I have never heard of Jute Mallow but in Egpyt they use it for soup and it grows very tall. Cabbage on the other hand is eaten all over the world. And I love the spice page, I use some of them regularly! Did you know that "Potatoes are the world's third most eaten ingredient." Guess that's not hard to imagine - who doesn't love a potato dish - mash, chips, gnocchi...
Pronunciation guides for lots of words - believe me I need it too!
I love this book, can't wait to add to our library. This is a paperback copy on which the retail price is £9.99, for this that's a bargain!
September 14, 2023
I love reading books about food - cooking it, eating it, growing it. I am a bad and undisciplined vegan which means I very occasionally eat flesh although I never cook it and no longer enjoy the aroma of it cooking in my house. All of this is by way of saying I find Mucha, Smith and Lynas' book Welcome to Our Table a lovely addition to our juvenile collection. The end pages are a wonderful collection of little food drawings. The introduction features a drawing of 10 children sitting at a table with food of the same style as the endpages. It promises adventure and journey, and good eating. "We all eat food. Every one of us." From setting the table (eating with our fingers is all right sometimes) to texture ( not all of the are appealing) to types of grains and noodles, this is a delightful excursion into the land of food. For beginning foodies of all ages.
September 22, 2023
This was an outstanding read!
Often, we look at a person and see the differences, but this book finds the similarities - Everyone eats! Now, how do we do this?
The book introduces us to many children from many different cultures - We begin by Setting the Table ... What do you use? Plate? Silverware? Chopsticks? Fingers? Flat-Bottomed Spoon?
What does a chef say before you eat?
This book really makes you think ... about flavors, smells, textures, and then about specific categories of foods - rice, maize, bread, noodles, pickles & ferments, herbs, and much more!
Librarians & Teachers - You could probably build a program around this book!
I cannot say enough good things about this book - Really Well Done!
Often, we look at a person and see the differences, but this book finds the similarities - Everyone eats! Now, how do we do this?
The book introduces us to many children from many different cultures - We begin by Setting the Table ... What do you use? Plate? Silverware? Chopsticks? Fingers? Flat-Bottomed Spoon?
What does a chef say before you eat?
This book really makes you think ... about flavors, smells, textures, and then about specific categories of foods - rice, maize, bread, noodles, pickles & ferments, herbs, and much more!
Librarians & Teachers - You could probably build a program around this book!
I cannot say enough good things about this book - Really Well Done!
February 1, 2025
There is a phenomenal amount of information packed into this children's book. Even adults will learn a great deal about all sorts of foods from around the world.
The narrative is aimed at children older than those shown in the illustrations. Even with the pronunciation assists some of the words and expressions will be challenging even for adults. This is best read in small increments in order to take in and savor all of the information presented.
One error is noted; on page 45, two different illustrations of clams are identified as the same type which is not true.
Recommended purchase for school and public libraries for elementary age children ages 5 - 9.
M.P.
Ret. Libr Asso.
The narrative is aimed at children older than those shown in the illustrations. Even with the pronunciation assists some of the words and expressions will be challenging even for adults. This is best read in small increments in order to take in and savor all of the information presented.
One error is noted; on page 45, two different illustrations of clams are identified as the same type which is not true.
Recommended purchase for school and public libraries for elementary age children ages 5 - 9.
M.P.
Ret. Libr Asso.
November 7, 2024
This book immediately drew my eye because of the cute cover. When I opened it I loved the various illustrations and format. I felt more connected to the characters in the book because they were each talking and it became more engaging than a traditional book. The book goes through all the different types of foods that kids in countries allover the world eat! Some foods I had never heard of before, so I felt that I learned a lot of new things! Using this book to talk to students about different cultures' food could be really fun, I would definitely use this book for a class read-aloud.
June 18, 2024
There is a phenomenal amount of information packed into this children's book. Even adults will learn a great deal about all sorts of foods from around the world. The narrative is aimed at children older than those shown in the illustrations. Even with the pronunciation assists some of the words and expressions will be challenging even for adults. This is best read in small increments in order to take in and savor all of the information presented.
July 22, 2024
We read a page spread of this every day at dinner time, and my kids were fascinated learning about different foods from around the world, including the pictures to give them a visual. I learned a lot as well. The only drawback was no recipe examples or suggestions of cookbooks that might feature some of the meals described. We wanted to try some of the things we read about, but we'll have to do a bit more research about that.
May 20, 2025
Un livre à lire. Le livre est divisé en plusieurs petites sections sur chaque type d'aliment comme les aliments à base de riz, de maïs, de pommes de terre... Nouilles, viandes, fruits de mer... puis desserts, lait, glaces, fruits... Belle forme, illustrations colorées.
September 28, 2023
What a fun book to read about various food around the world and the illustrations are beautiful!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews