I Want to Eat (With) You

By Ryan Bani Tahmaseb

A mythical--and HUNGRY--monster meets an impulsive Iranian-American schoolboy

in this hilarious tale of food, friendship, and self-control.

All alone, deep within the wild woods, the ravenous Ifrit eats and eats until there's nothing left. So he clomps over to the city, hungry for something new.

At last the Ifrit reaches an elementary school, where he feasts his eyes on a lonely, restless kid named Kaveh. Kaveh feels different from his classmates; everything he does just seems to annoy them. Maybe eating Kaveh would help, thinks the Ifrit. But just as the beast opens his jaws, Kaveh asks him to play.

Inspired by Persian mythology and the author's experiences as an elementary educator, I Want to Eat (With) You is a laugh-out-loud, yet meaningful tale about food, friendship, and impulse control. With a glorious fold-out spread of the story's final feast, the book makes an ideal read aloud, especially for social-emotional learning, neurodivergent children, and kids who might struggle with making friends. As readers giggle at Kaveh and the Ifrit's antics, they will also discover the joy of finding friends who like us for ourselves--despite our appetites.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802856535
• ISBN13: 9780802856531
• Release Date: April 2027
• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
• Length: 56 Pages
• Age Range: 5 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 4