WHAT IS IT?
A children’s storybook written by Fabienne Viner-Luzzato and Jo Leslie-Briggs, which centres on healthy eating. It was inspired by the growing childhood obesity epidemic, the challenges of teaching their own children about food and by Viner-Luzzato’s direct experience of teaching children and adults about food and cooking. Although aimed at the eight-plus age group, it could be read to younger children — plus it could teach us all a lesson or two.
WHAT DOES IT PROMISE?
The book’s premise is an entertaining way of educating children about healthy eating, plus a few recipes to cook up along the way including baked fish goujons (right), home-made tomato sauce, chicken schnitzels and apricot and cherry tart.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
The story is all about Steamer (aka Salvatore Steamarolli) a trainee-cooking wizard. The book mixes food and the ever-popular concept of child wizardry to cook up a series of nosh-related adventures in which children (and the readers) find out more about the food they eat and what it can do to them. Illustrations are by the authors’ 11-year-old daughters.
DOES IT WORK?
Difficult to say, as I’m an adult and my little ones are just below target market. The stories are cute and definitely give a strong message to young readers and eaters that sugar and processed foods will not do you much good. But instead of casting out all such foods, the authors suggest everything is all right in moderation and they even include treats like home-made chocolate bars.
MUST HAVE OR MAYBE NOT?
The recipe book with a message would make a nice gift for a child. It’s well-disguised preaching — and let’s face it, anything is welcome in the fight to get our children to eat healthily.
Steamer the Cooking Wizard, Swift Publishing, £8.99
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