The Peanut-Free Café [Hardcover]

Gloria Koster (Author), Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 1 and up

A new student, Grant, is allergic to peanut butter and can't sit near anyone eating it. Should the principal forbid peanut butter in the cafeteria? Simon comes up with a clever idea. The school can have a peanut-free café!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–The most popular food at Nutley School is peanut butter, and Simon eats it on a bagel every day. Then a new student who has a peanut allergy comes to the school. Principal Filbert makes a peanut-free lunch table, and anyone who has a peanut-free lunch can eat there. Grant sits there alone. Simon suggests that they make the table a fun place, and the school starts a Peanut-Free Cafe that features snacks, arts and crafts, and a movie for the admission of a peanut-free lunch. Simon cant participate because he is unable to give up his favorite food. Finally he convinces himself to eat something else so that he can join his friends, but after school and on weekends he still enjoys peanut butter. The story addresses several important topics, all with a lighthearted touch. Cocca-Lefflers humorous and exuberant illustrations make the book fun. An informative and colorful selection, told in a nonthreatening way that kids will relate to.–Debbie Stewart Hoskins, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Many kids know how deadly a peanut allergy can be (1 in 20 children are affected). This story brings the situation home and provides some welcome information for those unfamiliar with the malady. Simon likes four foods: grapes, bagels, purple lollipops, and peanut butter, and there's nothing else in his lunch box. One day, Grant comes to Simon's school, and his peanut allergy necessitates his sitting alone during lunch. The principal tries to come up with a plan so that kids will join Grant, but it's Simon's idea to turn Grant's table into something fun. Thus the Peanut-Free Cafe is born, complete with movies and crafts. Simon, however, is not among the participants; he doesn't want to give up his peanut butter, the price of admission to the cafe. In the end, of course, Simon extends his menu (to include chili) so he can join the group, giving a nice twist to an everyday problem. The cartoon-style art is fun, with some moments of exaggerated drama, as when Grant demonstrates what would happen to him if he ate just one peanut. An appended note adds further information. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807563862
• ISBN-13: 978-0807563861
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 11 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, May 13, 2006

By 

A Reader (Naperville, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peanut-Free Café (Hardcover)

I read this book to my Kindergartner's class this week to prepare them for a peanut free table in the first grade lunchroom. They were silent and engaged the whole time - all of them. The teachers said it was an excellent book and that all the kids in the school should hear it. The message is great - a little allergy information and then a lot of how to be a good friend to a kid with allergies. The writing is intelligent and the illustrations are on par with current quality kid's titles. This is a great book to read at the beginning of a school year - it highlights the need for a peanut free table in the lunchroom and how to make it fun. I'm buying more copies for the library and for friends with allergy kids at other schools.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the other kid's perspective, September 5, 2006

By 

S. Kalish - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Peanut-Free Café (Hardcover)

One of the most interesting thing about Gloria Koster's peanut allergy picture book is its choice to make the main character a child without a peanut allergy. Kids with peanut allergies already know how important and inconvenient it is to avoid peanuts. By showing the growing understanding of the problem from the point of view of an "outsider," Peanut-Free Cafe allows every child to learn about peanut allergies and gain perspective about the difficulties of others who suffer this problem. With lively illustrations and a clever story, this book's educational value is only icing on the cake!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, February 18, 2007

By 

Jessica "Jessica" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peanut-Free Café (Hardcover)

I LOVE this book. This is an entertaining story with wonderful and bright illustrations. I have 2 kids with peanut allergies, and it is trying to find stories that deal with the social inevitabilities that come with a food allergy. This book is about a child who gives up his favorite peanut butter in order to partake in a special lunch routine (created by kids) with a peanut-allergic friend. If only our children's schools were so open and creative! I not only bought it for my kids, I am purchasing another copy for the school library.