Our Food: A Healthy Serving of Science and Poems

by Grace Lin, Ranida T. Mckneally, Grace Zong (Illustrator)

Award-winning author Grace Lin joins science writer Ranida T. McKneally to get kids talking about the science of food, the five food groups, and what a healthy meal looks like. Answering questions like "why are so many vegetables green?", "What's the difference between brown bread and white bread?", and "Why do beans make you gassy?", cheerful haiku poems and a simple Q&A format make this book a nutritious treat.
 
The information in this book aligns with both the USDA's MyPlate guidelines and the Harvard School of Public Health's Healthy Eating Plate guidelines and back matter includes further information about healthy eating and nutritional guidelines, as well as a glossary.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Food, Nonfiction, Science, Childrens, Nutrition

40 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2015

Reviews

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought this book was way too much nonfiction for the amount of poetry. One haiku on each spread is paired with a nonfiction sidebar several paragraphs long. The American (5-7-5) haiku, were fun, but somewhat uneven. Some, like the first one

Breakfast, lunch, dinner--
Every day, we eat and eat.
But I'm still hungry!

do a fine job of introducing that spread's topic (why we have to eat regularly, in this case) but don't excite me much.

Others are truly lovely.

On the Grains spread:

How tall the corn grows!
Reaching up toward the sun,
Talking to scarecrows.

Or clever.

On the Protein foods spread:

I've always wondered:
Do brown chickens lay brown eggs?
My thoughts are scrambled.

The nonfiction sidebars are clear and jam-packed with content, but super easy to read. They're full of child-friendly comparisons and enthusiasm about good health.

The further I read into this book, the more I liked it, actually. Even the more prosaic haiku seemed right by the end. A fun way to introduce to kids the idea of main topics or central ideas. Overall, the book is a great introduction to the idea of nutrition for young readers. And what a fun mentor text! A classroom could put together a book on a general topic, sharing the work of student poets, researchers, illustrators, and writers.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text: 5 stars
Illustrations: 4 stars

Nonfiction picture book about food and healthy nutrition. Each double-page spread contains a haiku and a sidebar containing the nutrition information. The five food groups, grains, vegetables, fruits, proteins, fats, and dairy are all covered. Lots of kid-friendly facts with an emphasis on healthy eating. Text is scientifically based but written in a very accessible fashion. Haiku poems introduce some fun and humor. Illustrations are colorful and appealing in a child-like way.

[Melissa McAlvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this one was great. Because there are short poems along with more lengthy text you can pick and oose how much to read depending on the age of your audience. Norah liked the poems and we read mist of the science. It was great to talk about our food and why we need to make healthy choices. She's already interested in how food helps our body so this was great.

[Paige Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder about the foods you eat? This book will satisfy your curiosity about the foods you eat and why to eat foods from the five major food groups; fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy. Kids have many questions about food, especially why they need to eat healthy ones. This book answers them in a way that children will understand and be encouraged to eat food from the five food groups.

This poetry book is on a 3rd to 4th grade level, but could be used with students in 1st through 5th grades. This book is full of information on the science of food. Each page has a poem, along with a question and answer where the students can learn factual information. This book would be a great read aloud for younger students. The poems are kid friendly and easy to understand. Lower elementary students could look at the rhyme schemes within the poems. Older students could benefit from the information and tie it into other subjects, such as health and science. This book can easily be tied into My Plate and the five major food groups. Students can learn about foods they need to eat to fuel their bodies. These haiku poems can be used as models and examples for students to use to craft their poems.

This book was a WOW book to me because of the way the authors integrated poetry and information together. The layout is organized and easy to read. The poems flow together well throughout the book. The illustrations are great! They are very detailed and kid friendly. This is a new way for kids to learn about the foods they eat.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Food is written in the same style as Our Seasons. It is a mixed text that follows a group of ethnically diverse children as they learn about farming and the five food groups. One side of the page is a poem and the other side is non fiction, explaining the answers to common questions about food. There are three questions per group, fruit, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein. Why are fruits so colorful? Why do beans make you gassy? This would be a great book to read prior to a field trip to a pumpkin patch, an apple orchard, or a dairy farm. I wouldn’t read the entire book in one sitting. I would break it up according to the science units you already study, or just one category at a time because the book is quite long. There is a glossary of vocabulary at the end of the book. Students would enjoy drawing or doing an art project about their favorites from each category, or they could build a meal with one food from each category by drawing them on a dinner plate.

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The five food groups and the concept of nutrition are explored in a dual format book, part picture poem book and part non-fiction prose. The short poems and the acrylic on paper illustrations will appeal to young children and to new readers. It has easy to read text and colorful pictures showing multicultural children as they explore and think about the food poem that accompanies it. A strong introduction about why we need to eat for health and a conclusion which encourages children to pick healthy choices, make this a good purchase for any school or public library collection. Back matter includes a glossary of terms. This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sure there are worse books about food and nutrition for kids, but I thought this one was pretty terrible. Partially it just reminded me that “dairy is one of the five food groups” which is so silly (sorry vegan kids who read this!), and labels fats as good and bad in a way that seems unlikely kids can understand. The information presented seems random enough to not be helpful, but too boring to be at least interesting. The entire discussion of beans here is related to gas. Skip this book.

[Beckbridge Family · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each spread has a three-line poem and half a page of scientific text about various food groups. I dislike that there’s a section referring to “good” and “bad” fats, as well as junk food, as this sort of terminology can reinforce diet culture and lead to disordered eating habits. Would prefer that foods remained morally neutral in this otherwise informative but understandable and well-illustrated book for kids.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poetry long list nominee, I was very hesitant about this because it was much more text in facts than poetry. But I really liked the simplicity and what was covered, especially as we are working really hard on helping my step-daughter learn to eat healthier (and hopefully with more variety!). Putting this on hold for her.

[Elia Basista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is a little wordy, it would be great for introducing the conversation of food groups and proper diet. The author does a greta job in explaining each food group, what makes them a group, what foods are in them, and why we need them. I loved reading this book myself just for the information presented! A great book to have in a classroom!

[Sohyun seo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is common for children to have a question why people have to ear food every day. This book explains a reason of it. Moreover, definitions of some words are connected with food are in this book. There are also explanation that which nutritions are in that food. In my opinion, when parents cook with their children, this book is helpful. They can talk about nutritions and functions of foods.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has information for kids to learn about the five different food groups. How it is written is really simple for children to understand the information. As well, I like that each page has a haiku about the food groups. However, I did got confused on how the book should be read to children because the information is off to the side in a box.

[lorin walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetry book about our food, and what is healthy for us. Very informational and talks about the five food groups. Talks about the differences between a fruit and vegetable. Goes into depth on what each food group is and what it consists of. The illustrations are great! Definitely will have in my class, so students can learn about the food groups in a fun way!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid introduction to nutrition with accessible text and interesting facts. I kind of wish they hadn't bothered including the haiku.

Because the short lines
Although related to food
Seemed random to me

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A palatable introduction to food and nutrition for elementary age readers with illustrations featuring a diverse cast of characters. There's even some diversity in the foods described. The haiku were hit or miss for me.

[Sabrina Engberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book that can help introduce kids to "our food." The poems were cute, though it may take a little more excitement to get kids to read about vegetables. I could definitely see this being used to kick off a lesson

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had colorful illustrations, fun haiku poems, and lots of excellent information. I actually found the sidebars with information a bit more engaging than the poems but I like that both are included. Lots of great facts about food included in an easy to understand way!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining narrative about the five food groups. With large, bright illustrations, poetry, and accessible explanations for healthy eating, this is an invaluable introduction to nutrition.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great science and facts here about all different kinds of food, the poems are a little lackluster for me.

[Nettie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible resource for young and old. The page spreads are captivating and give a lot of nutrition education.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting combination of nonfiction and poetry.

[Abby Peskin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I think the science and information included here is very helpful for young kids, the poems were strange and not engaging.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction, informative book. The kids were really into it. They love gardening and food, and we talk a lot about how different foods help our bodies. Illustrations were great too.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this collection of poems and information

[Kelsey Yeakle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our Food" is a wonderful academic book. It discusses nutrition and the five main food groups in an interesting format. On each page is an illustration and poem about a nutrition topic. The book also goes into greater detail about each topic by including a side bar with more scientific information. I think that the poem and illustration part of the book is great way to teach elementary school students about eating healthy. However, I only gave "Our Food" four stars because I believe that the side bar information is too much for elementary students. That information is too detailed for younger readers and is geared more towards middle school learners. Overall, the book would be a great tool to use in a classroom, but without reading every part of the sidebar information.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's loads of information in this book about healthy eating, each page with a haiku and a long paragraph explaining the concept introduced by the haiku, like "colorful fruits" and "why to eat vegetables." The illustrations are full-color pages full of action and smiles. I'm not sure of the audience, however. The pictures are cute young children, but it feels to me like the explanations given are more complex and aimed at older readers. There is additional information about healthy eating at the back and a glossary. A favorite page is about grains. The haiku: How tall the corn grows!/Reaching up toward the sun./talking to scarecrows." And a young boy and his dog are smiling at a scarecrow, by a cornfield!

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book on the science of our food.
2/20/17 Read with Naomi and Julia.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction to nutrition complete with haiku poetry and answers to questions kids may have about the food they eat.

I like the practical answers explained at an age-appropriate level. The haiku poetry is okay, but I liked the questions and answers about nutrition much more. Back matter includes a look at planning a healthy meal and features a glossary for vocabulary introduced in text.

Acrylic illustrations. Grades K-3.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non fiction book that explains how we get nutrition, how plants grow, and which foods give which vitamins. For each section there is a haiku to read. The illustrations are nice and help to explain the science behind nutrition. This book is good for elementary health and a fun book for non fiction fans.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grace Lin writes the haiku, Ranida T. McKneally provides the facts behind the topics, and Grace Zong does the art work for this picture book about the food groups and "healthy" eating. Somehow, the information being presented was giving me 80's/ early 90's vibe.