Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds

by Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann

Book Overview

Offering a brilliant banquet for baby's brain, hilarious food sculptures act out the five most important learning concepts - shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites. "It's the playful,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439110181
• ISBN13: 9780439110181
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Length: 61 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.6" x 10.8"
• Age Range: 3 years and under

Customer Reviews

Outstanding!

My mother was a librarian, and books have always been a part of my life. Mom always chose the best for us. This book has gorgeous photos, with a great concept of fruits and veggies. Eye-catching and beautifully made. Little ones learn, and adults perk up to an enjoyable feast. A must-have, for kitchen or coffee table. --Maure in Illinois

Captivating from 10 months onward

Even at 10 months, when my daughter received this as a gift, it was immediately her favorite book. She flipped from page to page and back to the cover, seeing that there were many "people" made of oranges. I've seen two other books by the same authors, but this one is "the one."

Usually, I'm disappointed with kids' books -- but WOW!

Hi, I'm a picky parent -- I admit it. My standards for books for my kids are very high. I guess it's because I'm a professional writer and editor and my husband is a newspaper publisher. We expect lively, imaginative writing with substance, not just empty calories for our children's minds. My three-year-old snatched this book off the library shelves. I let her check it out, but didn't plan to do much more than flip through it. When I opened it -- wow! This book teaches concepts like numbers, opposites and more in the most imaginative way I've seen. My husband and I agreed this was a book we had to have on our shelves. The only problem with that is this: My husband figured the best place for it would be the kitchen -- so I could try to duplicate the cool things with our family foods. Yeah, right! Far better to keep it on the coffee table. A benefit -- my kids are becoming charmed by vegetables and more willing to see them on their plates!

Tutti Fruity

Someone forgot to tell this duo not to play with their food. Thank goodness, or kids wouldn't have such startling sculptures of bok choy fish or cauliflower sheep to teach them basic concepts: colors, shapes, numbers, letters and opposites. Eye-catching colors and uncluttered layouts keep this fruity menagerie moving along. The foods are real -- and after several readings, I'm still scrutinizing the pages to see just how the artists did it. Even knowing they used black-eyed peas for eyes doesn't affect the magic: How did they find all those peppers with silly faces? How come my bruised bananas never look like giraffes? I brought this book to my son's pre-school and the teacher didn't want to part with it: the kids wouldn't let her put it down. You'll never look at salad the same way again.

Charming vegetable characters

This is a book that I never tire of reading again and again. The characters are so lovely and yet they are all real - all cleverly put together from real fruits and vegetables. I particularly like the mushroom "michelin man" and the "shouting" orange. It is unbelievable that there are so many weird peppers that naturally show convincing expressions. Wonderful book full of surprises.