My Food, Your Food

Cloverleaf Books ™ - Alike and Different

by Lisa Bullard

It's food week in Manuel's class. Each student tells about something special his or her family eats. Manuel learns that families have different food traditions. Some eat noodles with chopsticks. Others use a fork. Some families eat flat bread. Others eat puffy bread. What kind of food will Manuel share with his class? Join him to find out how deliciously different and alike food can be.

Genres: Food, Cultural, Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Lisa Bullard is the award-winning author of more than sixty books for children, including the middle grade mystery Turn Left at the Cow. She is also the author of the how-to guide Get Started in Writing for Children. Her books for younger readers include picture books and nonfiction titles such as Trick-or-Treat on Milton Street and You Can Write a Story: A Story-Writing Recipe for Kids. Her books have won several honors, including a Children’s Choice Award, two Teacher’s Choice Awards, a Science Books & Films’ Best Books listing, a National Parenting Publications Children's Resources Silver Award, and a Storytelling World Awards Honor Title. For over fifteen years, Lisa has taught writing classes for adults and young people at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and in a variety of other settings. Lisa is a graduate of the University of Denver’s Publishing Institute.

Reviews

[Heidi]

Summary:
Manuel's class is bringing in different food that represent them and their culture. The class talks about how some families choose to eat meat and how some families don't and some families do not eat animal products at all. The students talk about where their families came from and how that influences the food they eat. Another thing that influences what families eat is their religion. Finally, Manuel brings his grandmothers salsa to class.

Age appropriate:
1st-3rd

Review:
The format of this book could help introduce these resources to students. Like a table of contents, glossary, and index. If students have to answer questions about a text these can be helpful tools to become familiar with to see how they can help you navigate a text. This book also does a good job at not only highlighting the differences in families but to give brief explanations as to why some families are different and make the decisions they do.

[Mackenzie Duda]

- multicultural
- international cuisine
- written for younger elementary students
- it encompasses many cultures in the story and is a great starter book on topics such as cuisine and cultural diversity
- it also talks about utensils/ dishes customary to each country
- influential grandparent
- class project on cuisine

[Crystal Smith]

I decided to review this book because it explains to children how different food is in other parts of the world. This story can be a good read in the classroom because after we could do a pot luck of different foods from different parts of the world and let them experience the different cultures. It can also encourage children to want to try other dishes that they are not use to.

[Mariela Espinoza]

The book gives a simple explanation of different foods around the world. This book can be used in my class to teach children to respect other people's cultures and food. At lunch time some kids bring in home-cooked meals and students make fun of them because they don't know what they are eating. It's a good book for kids 4-7 yrs. old.

[Karla]

I'd like not to see burritos and salsa every time we talk about food and culture. That's like saying American food is hamburgers and hot dogs. There's potential for more. BUT, it's a good attempt and not a bad book

[Haley Davis]

Such a wonderful book! Not only does it identify different foods that are eaten in different countries, but it also helps readers understand diversity and that not everyone is the same and we are all unique in our own way.

[Allison Ster]

This book made me think of the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". When Toula is eating Moussaka and the girls make fun of her. This book shows that often times different families eat a lot of different things and that okay.

[Debra McEathron]

This is a really cute story for lower elementary children. It is an Accelerated reader book as well. It is about a class sharing foods from their cultures and how many cultures have the same type of food used in different ways. Very colorful and entertaining.

[Mae Hinson]

This book can help introduce cultural aspects to students. It also has good questions throughout the book where students can have discussions about their own culture with their peers. After reading the book, students could make their own "menu" that describes the food their family likes to make.

[Madison Estes]

cute multicultural book where students in Manuel's class bring in different foods from their family's culture and share it with the class. The children learn about different cultures and the food they eat

[Sarah]

This is a cute little book to show students that we may look different but we are all the same.

[Elizabeth Edwards]

i enjoy trying new foods ... don't u? so fun. very cool. great illustrations. i enjoy the illustrators that Lisa does pick ...they do change often ...but well done. so cool!! great reads.

[Kaileen Avila]

Good reads 8/30

[Miss Sarah]

An early elementary story about a classroom sharing foods and stories about them native to their cultures.

[Valerie Doherty]

Here's a wonderful story to celebrate different cultures and delicious food.

[Annabelle]

I LOVE this book! Growing up I always brought Polish food to school and I loved getting to share and teach my friends about it!

[Bethani Nicoletti]

This book can help educate students about different cultures and their dishes

[Suzanne]

Ms. Chen's class is learning about foods, so each student is bringing in a special dish that their family enjoys. They try spaghetti from Italy and yi mein from China. They have lefse from Norway, roti from India, and challah from Israel. One child even talks about going fishing with her father to bring home fresh fish for her family. And Manuel, the narrator of the tale, brings in salsa he makes with his abuela. Throughout the week as the children learn about different dishes from different cultures, they also learn that even when foods are called by other names or cooked in various ways, they can still be the same, too.

At the end of the story are a recipe for salsa, a glossary, a list of books and websites to learn more, and an index. The books makes a point of including diversity in backgrounds, families, and even children with glasses or a wheelchair. There are also questions on several pages to encourage discussion. They ask things like - "What part of the world does your family come from?" Or, "Do you help your family cook meals?"

If the other books in this Alike and Different series are done in a similar fashion, they will make an excellent resource for introducing young students into the study of cultural diversity.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Aside from sports, my students love food. They'd certainly love this book - though afterward half of them would complain it made them hungry, then ask to make the foods that were discussed. This book has many positives going for it and could be taught within a variety of contexts. I like that there were questions asked of students along the way, so they are interacting with the book and not just passive listeners. This could be a starting point for a class project, for students to research their family history and foods from the places of their ancestors,. Neat little book, nicely done.

[Aleece]

This was a nice concept to teach kids about different kinds of foods that children grow up with eating everyday. Overall I thought it could have been slightly longer and slightly more depth. I feel like this was the start of something really interesting and educational for kids but overall I felt it fell slightly flat and need more cultures explored since this book barely scratches the surface.

I received this advanced copy from Millbrook Press through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Jillian]

Great discussion of different foods across cultures - how two vastly different countries can both have flatbread, to how tomatoes can be used in many different kinds of dishes, to how some families choose to eat or not eat certain things.
Food is a great gateway to learning about other places and other cultures, and this book is a good discussion starter!

[Camille De Zeeuw]

Professional Support for Diverse Literature book.

[Andrew Owenburg]

1) This book has not won any awards
2) It is best suited for students in 1st-2nd grades
3) The book follows a class of students as they present different types of traditional foods that relate to their ethnic backgrounds. It provides actual recipes for certain foods from various places from around the globe.
4) I believe the book is quite interesting and that the factor of actually learning certain international recipes would definitely be engaging for some students who may have interests in cooking or food in general. The diversity that the book promotes is exceptional and teaches children the importance of acceptance.
5) There would be two uses for this book in my classroom. First, I would have my students research any certain country of the world they might be interested in learning about. I would have them specifically look for popular traditional dishes for that nation and the recipes of said meals. The second use would tie in with the first. Unlike the usual "I'm from Ireland, so i brought in soda bread" event, I would have my students bring in the food they researched and were actually interested in to share with the class. Each student would have the opportunity to give a brief explanation for their food and their reasoning for their choice before they could all dig in and try these diverse meals.