How Did That Get In My Lunchbox?: The Story of Food [Hardcover]

Chris Butterworth (Author), Lucia Gaggiotti (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: January 25, 2011 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 870L (What's this?)

Fresh retro artwork lures little readers on a tasty trip to farms, dairies, and more. Yum!

The best part of a young child’s day is often opening a lunchbox and diving in. But how did all that delicious food get there? Who made the bread for the sandwich? What about the cheese inside? Who plucked the fruit? And where did the chocolate in that cookie get its start? From planting wheat to mixing flour into dough, climbing trees to machine-squeezing fruit, picking cocoa pods to stirring a vat of melted bliss, here is a clear, engaging look at the steps involved in producing some common foods. Healthy tips and a peek at basic food groups complete the menu.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Butterworth is the author of Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea, winner of a John Muir prize for natural history writing. The author of many nonfiction books for children, she lives in Cornwall, England.

Lucia Gaggiotti is a graphic designer, packager, and illustrator whose images of food have been used by many food companies in London, including Carluccios and Pizza Express. She lives in London.

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (January 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763650056
• ISBN-13: 978-0763650056
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.3 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Diet & Nutrition
  • #59 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > How Things Work

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children January 25, 2011

By Yana V. Rodgers

Format:Hardcover

Young children may take the contents of their lunchboxes for granted, but quite some activity went into producing those food items and beverages. The sandwich bread had its beginnings in a wheat field, the cheese filling came from a dairy that transformed cow's milk into curds, the apple juice box had its origins at an apple orchard, and the chocolate chip cookie would not have its chips were it not for the cocoa beans grown abroad.

This brightly illustrated book offers a lively opportunity to introduce children to the concepts of natural, capital, and human resources, often among the first set of economics concepts that children are expected to learn in the primary grades. Children can relate firsthand to these ideas when they think about the roles of farms, food processing facilities, and transportation networks in producing their lunchbox foods.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food May 8, 2011

By Inhabiting Books

Format:Hardcover

"One of the best parts of the day is when you lift the lid of your lunchbox to see what's inside."
(First sentence.)

I'm willing to bet that your young children, if they're not living on a farm, exhibit a certain disconnect regarding where their food actually comes from. This book will change that. The text and pictures of this eminently readable book do a superb job of providing essential knowledge in a fun way by breaking down the food production chain of certain lunchbox items (bread, cheese, tomatoes, apple juice, carrots, chocolate chip cookies, and clementines) into sequential steps.

But the information doesn't end with the lunchbox. The book goes on to briefly talk about healthy food choices beyond your lunchbox, and the importance of a healthy balanced diet. There is a short Food Facts page at the end with some excellent advice like...

"Your body is growing all the time (even when you're asleep!) So remember, don't skip breakfast - it gets your body through the day."

My 7 year-old Olivia read this book to us all, with her sisters by her side looking intently at the pictures. We took the time to savor each page's illustrations, and I could see the figurative light bulbs going off in my children's heads as we read this book. Even though most of the knowledge was not new to them - we have discussed where food comes from many times before - I thought this book really helped them (and me!) actually understand the process better.

Chris Butterworth's clear, well-written text and Lucia Gaggiotti's engaging illustrations make this book so worth reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book May 17, 2013

By Max's Mama

Format:Hardcover

My child absoluely loves this book. The pictures, the text, the substance behind the words...all have sparked amazing discussions. Hands down a no-brainer--buy it!