What's on Your Plate?: Exploring the World of Food

by Whitney Stewart, Christiane Engel (illustrator)

It's a big, tasty world out there—and this book takes kids on a tour through the cuisines of 14 countries, complete with a recipe for each one.
What’s on your plate? Chances are it’s not quite the same as what’s on other children’s plates around the world. Come on a journey to see how people in different countries prepare, eat, and think about their food. Beautiful photographs and illustrations capture the food culture of 14 countries, from Brazil and Spain to Morocco, India, and China. Each spread includes an overview of the country and its native foods, photographs of the various dishes with pronunciations and descriptions, an easy recipe for kids to try, and an illustrated crop map of the country. With so many fun elements to intrigue them, young foodies will be excited to learn about how people eat across the globe!

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Cultural, Childrens, Cookbooks, Cooking

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 13, 2018

About the author

Whitney Stewart has interviewed the 14th Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Sir Edmund Hillary for her young adult biographies. She has traveled all over Europe and Asia to write her books. When she is not writing, she is usually visiting schools and libraries to give talks.

Her personal interests are in reading, traveling, yoga, meditation, and sea kayaking. She lives with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice idea but missed execution. Nothing from Indonesia, Polynesia, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia. At least there's an explanation of Chinese foods that makes distinctions beyond the Cantonese/Mandarin that is the only thing I've ever seen in restaurants in mid-America. Only 14 recipes. Maps unhelpful and should have been omitted in favor of more recipes and countries, or even pictures of more dishes. Drawings of children cute & diverse.

Read for December 2020 "cookbooks" theme in Children's Books.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is What’s On Your Plate?: Exploring The World Of Food, written by Whitney Stewart and illustrated by Christiane Engel, a cookbook/celebration of international cuisine for little readers.

There’s a world of food out there, and chances are that what’s on your plate is not the same as children in other countries! So follow along as readers are taken on a tour of 14 countries (such as Mexico, Thailand, Ethiopia, etc.) and given a crash course in their food culture, popular dishes, and even a recipe to try at home (with parents’ help, of course). By the end, readers will gain an appreciation for new and interesting dishes and cultures, and find that our love of food is both what makes us unique and brings us together.

Very cool! Each spread is informative, interesting, visually fun, and the recipes look delicious. It’s a great way to encourage little ones to be adventurous with their meals and to learn more about other countries and cultures. The illustrations are perfect fun, make the food look delectable (there are also photos of some dishes), and the maps of the countries and their native ingredients are awesome. This is not a storybook, and reading it in one sitting would definitely be for older bookworms, but JJ enjoyed the illustrations, and I imagine this will be a popular book for our adventurous eater in a few years. A great way to introduce little foodies to international cuisine, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not simply a book about exploring the world of food; it is actually a book about the world and its varied cultures. The facts are extremely well researched, honest and eye-opening. The wonderful union of author and illustrator is wholly creative and engaging, with just the right amount of pertinent information, each one accompanied by a recipe, opening up the door to explore and be curious about cultures and peoples. I appreciate how it draws lines connecting one place to another through the food and gives voice to our multicultural heritages. I love the mix illustrations of drawings and actual images. Its very eye-catching and really brings life to the information. I think this book will peak even the most finicky eaters interest to explore!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely children's book has maps and information about 14 different countries and the foods grown and eaten there along with a child friendly recipe from each country. I love that the recipes are all for simple foods that children will enjoy eating and helping to prepare. I look forward to making them myself!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting culinary tour that includes locations not normally covered in kids cookbooks/food books

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visually appealing text of food in different countries around the world

[Alana Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each spread of this book tells of a new location. On the left side, there is a short historical description of the people who live there and what they historically ate. That same side also includes actual photographs of the food, a recipe, and a list of popular foods in the location. The right side includes a map of the county highlighting where in the country the food comes from. It is heavy in information and text, because of this, I could see it being used in the 4th-5th grade room for some sort of research. I found it to be a little dull (although I liked the graphics) and my concern for classroom applications is that this book would be borderline too shallow and "tourist-y." But, for being a book about food and "exploring the world of food" it does its job.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attractive and appealing survey of foods and favorite recipes from 14 countries. Each two page spread provides a brief historical background on the foods found in each country and how those were introduced. A simple child-friendly recipe for a typical dish is provided and a pictorial atlas with points of interest and locations where food is grown. A glossary in included in the back.

Wonderful for classrooms studying different countries and cultures or for general interest.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The countries were a bit obvious in choices, so I would have liked a little more than the usual suspects. I am grateful that every continent was featured but I think it would have been more interesting to do Sub-Saharan Africa. Oz got into finding out which country grew what though, so that was really cool

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love that pronunciation guide is right next to each word and not in a glossary in the back.
Not the class read aloud that my teachers were looking for, but perfect for reading together parent and child.

[Megan Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it when the book talked about food they served in Mexico! I will use this to continue to discuss culture.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It covers 14 countries. Each has a colorful map that points out places of interest and landscape and food. There is a recipe for each country. One for the home library

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy delicioso!

Take a trip around the world and read about foods grown, raised, or caught in that country. Learn about a few of their dishes. Make a recipe from each country. What a fun way to experience the world!

Pretty Mediterranean heavy, but they do have amazing food in the Mediterranean.
I appreciated that Chinese cuisine was broken into the different areas of China, and not grouped into one category.
Of course I loved to see Thailand represented- and of course, we have great food.

I can't tell if this has all typical dishes or if it is just because I love food, and I love travel (the only two countries in this book I haven't been to are Brazil and Morocco- and I've eaten nearly all the dishes! :) )

I'll probably buy this for my nephew who is a budding Foit foodie :)
Itadakimasu!

[Terry]

I love this book for third graders and up! There are a lot of foods that kids today may be familiar with, but still not know about the history of the food or its ingredients.