Rah Rah Radishes! A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre

Rah Rah Radishes! A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre

Rating: 5 get-your-veggies stars!

If there is something else I'd have a blog about, it'd be kids and food.  Or maybe health in general--I'm a big fitness junkie, a marathon runner, and sometimes annoyingly healthy eater.  I want my kids to BE healthy--eat healthy and love to get out and move their body.  I want it to be second nature to them.  I am smart enough to realize how difficult it is to change bad habits in adulthood, so...I want them to get a good start.

I admit I'm sort of a meanie with food.  They eat a lot of vegetables, often two different kids of vegetables at lunch and dinner, and I'm constantly trying to get them to eat new things.  I went on a beet kick last year and made plain old broiled beets, beet soup, and even beet pancakes (recipe here)!  Um, I sorta love beets.  Anyway, we all eat bell peppers like most eat apples.  One of Ben's favorite foods ever is kale chips (recipe here).  Tomatoes from our garden never make it inside.  Ben has chosen a cucumber over bread.  Tonight after dinner Lorelei said, "I have a taste for carrots and almonds." Your wish is my command, little girl!

Kiefer likes beets, too!

So when I saw this book at the library, I grabbed it.  I'm trying really hard not to buy it, but I LOVE IT!  My kids love it.  It is SO fun to read, so great to talk about, so full of big photographs that invite questions and answers and...conversation.  My kids often accompany me to the grocery store, but c'mon, who's not in a rush with three little kids at the grocery store?  This is a book that should be on all of our shelves.

Here are some of my favorite lines:
"Oh boy, bok choy!"
"Bounce for beets!"
"Grab that garlic, please your palate!"
"Veggies rock!"

Seriously, though, I was shocked to learn, while watching the HBO series Weight of the Nation, that a huge portion of kids, especially low income and inner city, often go without any fresh fruit or vegetables.  For days.  Weeks.  Months.  They know what an apple is, and often a banana.  But kohlrabi?  Brussels?  Spinach?  I am dismayed and disheartened and definitely feel compelled to do something.  Just trying to figure out what...  Feel free to throw suggestions my way if you've got any bright ideas.