What do you think?
Rate this book
I Hate Oatmeal
A delightful book for picky little eaters.
Timmy refuses to eat his oatmeal. Mother tries to make his cereal look yummy, with no luck. See what she does with the oatmeal and how Timmy reacts.
Timmy refuses to eat his oatmeal. Mother tries to make his cereal look yummy, with no luck. See what she does with the oatmeal and how Timmy reacts.
46 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 2020
1284 people want to read
About the author
Jan Lis
10 books279 followersAs a writer and artist Jan Lis fills her children’s books with reality based themes and quirky animal stories propelled by positive values. She paints word pictures to produce colorful backgrounds and rich imagery for her spunky characters.
Jan Lis is an established artist who has exhibited and won awards in many of the country’s top Annual Exhibitions including: The Butler Institute of American Art, the San Diego Watercolor Society, and the Piedmont Biennial at the Mint Museum. She is represented incorporate and private collections including: the State of Florida Art in Public Buildings Program, the Brevard County Florida Art In Public Places Program, and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.
Jan attended the Cleveland Institute of art. She has a BFA from Ohio University with a major in Fine Arts and a minor in English Literature. Also taking post-graduate writing courses at Case Western-Reserve University. She established her writing as a journalist contributing articles to publications such as the Miami Herald, and the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and has worked as Fine Arts Editor and Columnist for the Florida Arts Gazette.
Jan’s Literary Agent is:
Cyle Young
Hartline Literary Agency
cyle@hartlineliterary.com
Jan Lis is an established artist who has exhibited and won awards in many of the country’s top Annual Exhibitions including: The Butler Institute of American Art, the San Diego Watercolor Society, and the Piedmont Biennial at the Mint Museum. She is represented incorporate and private collections including: the State of Florida Art in Public Buildings Program, the Brevard County Florida Art In Public Places Program, and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.
Jan attended the Cleveland Institute of art. She has a BFA from Ohio University with a major in Fine Arts and a minor in English Literature. Also taking post-graduate writing courses at Case Western-Reserve University. She established her writing as a journalist contributing articles to publications such as the Miami Herald, and the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and has worked as Fine Arts Editor and Columnist for the Florida Arts Gazette.
Jan’s Literary Agent is:
Cyle Young
Hartline Literary Agency
cyle@hartlineliterary.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 20, 2020
I received an ARC of this book through Reedsy in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes, giving food a second chance makes all the difference. Timmy, an adventurous and inquisitive young boy, is served oatmeal every morning for breakfast. His mother, a quintessential ‘50s housewife, dutifully places a bowl in front of him each morning with a different topping every day. After picking off the toppings and eating only them, Timmy announces “I hate oatmeal!” and goes about his day. He receives oatmeal each morning, and every day he refuses to eat it. So, one day, Timmy wonders what happens to the oatmeal he does not eat. He follows his mother outside and watches as she spoon feeds the oatmeal to a flock appreciative, yellow birds. When Timmy sees how much the birds enjoy the oatmeal, he decides to take a deep breath and see what he has been missing.
Parents everywhere recognize the behavior of a picky eater when they see one. Some may give in, but others, like the mother in this story, are persistent in their attempts to introduce their children to new types of food. Despite Timmy’s vehement declarations, his mother is unphased, always put together and wearing a smile on her face. The illustrative style is similar to something out of Alice in Wonderland, the backgrounds often more stylized than realistic. Each time Timmy comes to the kitchen for breakfast, he is dressed as one of many unique characters. The setting for each is shown on the right side of the image, showcasing the make-believe world inside Timmy’s head adjacent to the real-life kitchen. Repetitive phrasing and structure give the story a predictable pacing, ideally suited to young elementary school-aged readers. While the text itself is short, the illustrations invite conversation about what Timmy is pretending to be. This is a fanciful addition to the existing selection of books about picky eaters.
Sometimes, giving food a second chance makes all the difference. Timmy, an adventurous and inquisitive young boy, is served oatmeal every morning for breakfast. His mother, a quintessential ‘50s housewife, dutifully places a bowl in front of him each morning with a different topping every day. After picking off the toppings and eating only them, Timmy announces “I hate oatmeal!” and goes about his day. He receives oatmeal each morning, and every day he refuses to eat it. So, one day, Timmy wonders what happens to the oatmeal he does not eat. He follows his mother outside and watches as she spoon feeds the oatmeal to a flock appreciative, yellow birds. When Timmy sees how much the birds enjoy the oatmeal, he decides to take a deep breath and see what he has been missing.
Parents everywhere recognize the behavior of a picky eater when they see one. Some may give in, but others, like the mother in this story, are persistent in their attempts to introduce their children to new types of food. Despite Timmy’s vehement declarations, his mother is unphased, always put together and wearing a smile on her face. The illustrative style is similar to something out of Alice in Wonderland, the backgrounds often more stylized than realistic. Each time Timmy comes to the kitchen for breakfast, he is dressed as one of many unique characters. The setting for each is shown on the right side of the image, showcasing the make-believe world inside Timmy’s head adjacent to the real-life kitchen. Repetitive phrasing and structure give the story a predictable pacing, ideally suited to young elementary school-aged readers. While the text itself is short, the illustrations invite conversation about what Timmy is pretending to be. This is a fanciful addition to the existing selection of books about picky eaters.
November 28, 2020
This one caught my eye thanks to the title combined with the wonderful crown...so true for some of those early, picky eaters!
Timmy will not...under any circumstances...eat his oatmeal. Mom goes to all lengths to add the extra something, which will make that oatmeal more enticing. Day after day, she does her best, but Timmy is not to be swayed. Then, she does something unexpected and his attitude might just change.
I know I was not an oatmeal fan when I was younger, so for me, Timmy was very easy to connect to before this book even started. My kids thought so too. But even they had to admit that with everything the poor mother tried, it was getting to be a bit much.
The author does this with a sense of repeat. Every morning, Timmy comes in and refuses to touch his oatmeal, and every day, the mother does something to spice things up. At first, I thought there was a printing mistake since the story really repeats itself, but then quickly realized what was going on. The sense of him doing the same thing day after day hits even with younger readers in a way which starts to make Timmy's dislike seem more and more tiring...much like it should for the mother. So, this was really well done in its monotony.
The illustrations really caught my eye. They are detailed, very brightly colored, and while portraying things realistically, throw in an unexpected, artistic flair, too. I enjoyed the originality and was very surprised by the mother's outfits and 'personality'. It's definitely something which sticks out and will catch kids' attentions.
At the end of the book, there are question to open up discussions about the tale. These ask readers about what they say or happened in a game-like fashion. It helps to make the message clear without coming across preachy.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed this picky eater quite a bit.
Timmy will not...under any circumstances...eat his oatmeal. Mom goes to all lengths to add the extra something, which will make that oatmeal more enticing. Day after day, she does her best, but Timmy is not to be swayed. Then, she does something unexpected and his attitude might just change.
I know I was not an oatmeal fan when I was younger, so for me, Timmy was very easy to connect to before this book even started. My kids thought so too. But even they had to admit that with everything the poor mother tried, it was getting to be a bit much.
The author does this with a sense of repeat. Every morning, Timmy comes in and refuses to touch his oatmeal, and every day, the mother does something to spice things up. At first, I thought there was a printing mistake since the story really repeats itself, but then quickly realized what was going on. The sense of him doing the same thing day after day hits even with younger readers in a way which starts to make Timmy's dislike seem more and more tiring...much like it should for the mother. So, this was really well done in its monotony.
The illustrations really caught my eye. They are detailed, very brightly colored, and while portraying things realistically, throw in an unexpected, artistic flair, too. I enjoyed the originality and was very surprised by the mother's outfits and 'personality'. It's definitely something which sticks out and will catch kids' attentions.
At the end of the book, there are question to open up discussions about the tale. These ask readers about what they say or happened in a game-like fashion. It helps to make the message clear without coming across preachy.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed this picky eater quite a bit.
September 3, 2020
This is a good book for young children. My granddaughters (6 and 8) loved it. I read it to the 6-year old (she read a little), but the 8-yr old read it herself. They are not very picky eaters but 6-year old hates raisins on oatmeal. Thinks the fruit might be yucky, but the honey and jam would be good. She loves oatmeal with honey and chocolate chips. My other granddaughter (8) loves oatmeal with raisins, dried cherries, and chocolate chips as a smiley face on top. Both like it made with milk, butter, and honey.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews