The Gulps

By Rosemary Wells

With their trademark wit and wisdom, Rosemary Wells and Marc Brown present a groundbreaking'and side-splittingly slapstick ?story which introduces the importance of healthy habits. When a fast-food fanatic family of bunnies set out vacation, they pack their RV full of TVs, Jiffy Chips, and Winky Twinks. But when the weighed-down vehicle wheezes to a halt in the middle of nowhere, Farmer Spratt saves the day by showing the Gulps the value of a fresh, home-cooked meal and the lasting benefits of physical activity. The Gulps' transformation is sure to inspire a generation of super-sized kids'and parents'to turn over a new leaf

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316014605
• ISBN13: 9780316014601
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 12.1" x 0.4" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The Gullps

This book was shared during our Safety/Wellness day at the end of school. One of our 16 stations was The Gulps. The book was quite entertaining yet got the point across about overeating and the effects of this unhealthy lifestyle. A great read aloud for kindergarten and first grade students. This book provides the means for a very touchy subject.

Wonderful book!

This book is a great book for teaching younger kids that eating fast food and junk food is BAD FOR YOU! I read some of these 1 star reviews and quite frankly I think they are nuts! Yes this book portrays a family that is overweight (except the little daughter Dawn) but they are obese not slightly overweight and all they eat is junk. The story goes on to tell how their camper won't go on because there is too much weight. They end up on a farm helping a farmer and his wife. During this time they realize how hard it is to do any kind of physical activity because they are so large. Finally Dawn helps them realize that eating healthier and exercising is the way to live happily. By the end of the book everyone is slimmer, happier, and healthier! That is the point of the book... to teach kids to eat healthy and exercise instead of sitting around eating junk and playing video games or watching TV. SO I say this book is worth every penny and is a true gem IF you want to teach your kids to be healthy! By the way... We rented it so many times from the library that we ended up buying it because the kids liked it so much. And guess what? Our 3 children (ages 5, 4, and 3), who HATED vegetables now ask for them at every meal! SO yeah... we were very satisfied with this book! :)

People need to wake up! Fat is not healthy!

After reading the overwhelmingly negative reviews for this book I have to just shake my head in disgust. Obesity is an epidemic in this country, NOT eating disorders. And if a kid who is fat and unhealthy feels ashamed about it then maybe it will be a motivater for change. You can't safeguard a child's every emotion. AND let me add, it is parents who are doing the lion's share of the grocery shopping, cooking and purchasing of food not to mention modeling appropriate eating habits. So guess what? If you're kid is fat, it's your fault. As for the book, my kids loved it. They recite it from memory to each other (ages 3 and 5) and we now use "the Gulps" as an identifier for all things unhealthy. I could have done without the stupid bunny ears, but whatever. One more thing: for the reviewer who says thin kids will take away the message that it's ok for them to eat junk food because they aren't fat, well, that makes no sense. Dawn, the youngest character in the book (and thinnest) is thin and healthy because she already eats right. Not because her bad habits haven't caught up with her yet. Wake up America!

Finally!

This is a wonderful book that gives kids a good message. Junk food is bad and causes obesity; vegetables and nutritious foods are good, and physical activity is fun and should be encouraged. The author makes the quest for nutrition and a healthy active lifestyle very attractive to kids. Ignore the bigfatblog.com posters with the one star reviews. They are living in a state of denial about childhood and adult obesity in this country. You have only to read their blog to see that they have given up hope for themselves and are now looking to place blame for their weight problem on others. This positive message is very timely. We must address the issue of obesity with our kids because if nothing is done the lifespans of the next generation will be shorter than that of their parents, and their quality of life will be seriously affected.

Both a fun story and a realistic message

The Gulps love junk food and lots of it - but hate anything green. Papa Gulp revs up a big RV, Mama packs it full of snacks, and the kids are off for a fun adventure - but the family's overloaded fat vehicle can't take them very far unless they change their habits. Marc Brown provides oversized, zany drawings to reinforce both a fun story and a realistic message about size and ability: perfect for modern collections.