Customer Reviews

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato (Charlie and Lola)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What a cute story! Charlie is in charge of little sister Lola and decides to play a trick on her. With Charlie giving silly names to foods that Lola claims she doesn't like, Lola plays along and tastes foods she has insisted she will never, ever eat. My 6-1/2 year old loves this book; it's a bit too old for my almost 3-year old.

What I like best about this book are the real photographs of the foods (peas, carrots, fish sticks, etc.) that are incorporated into the fun cartoon illustrations.

This is a engaging, slightly offbeat story which makes it stand out from the zillions of other children's books out there.

Lola is a VERY picky eater. Carrots are for rabbits. Peas are too small and too green. She won't touch potatoes or mushrooms, spaghetti, eggs or sausage...the list goes on and on. And, she absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato. Her big sister Charlie has got to give her dinner and decides "to play a good trick on her." Carrots become orange twiglets from Jupiter and Lola is so intrigued that she just has to try one. Peas turn into green drops from Greenland, mashed potatoes, cloud fluff from Mt Fuji. And though Lola would never touch a fish stick, she's willing to eat an ocean nibble since mermaids eat them all the time. Pretty soon, dinner is over and Lola has eaten everything, even a nice round red moonsquirter. You know, they're her favorite. Lauren Child has written a funny, witty, imaginative story, told in hip kid-speak, all picky eaters will identify with. Her busy, expressive illustrations, full of color and textures, compliment the text and will really hold your youngster's attention. This is a terrific book the whole family can enjoy and it might even get your picky eater to try something new.

Ok, I was a fussy eater. I admit it. And maybe if this book had been around when I was a kid, my parents would have had an easier time. Lola has a long list of foods she won't eat but some creative thinking from her older sister changes all that.

The idea is great but it is the colorful illustrations that I love. The figures are cut outs that are placed ingeniously on all kinds of bacgrounds, lending texture and vibrance to the story. I'm definately giving this book to all the fussy eaters I know. Very imaginative and well done.

It has great pictures, and the book is about a little girl named Lola who is a very fussy eater. Lola learns about fruits and vegetables. Her sister Charlie tells her that they are different things and from different places. Lola tries everything and ends up liking them all. I would suggest this book for kids under the age of 7.

"I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny" These opening lines set the sweet and gentle tone for a tale about two sisters. One (Lola) with a very long list of foods she will not eat, and the other (Charlie) with the task of feeding dinner to her fussy little sister.

It could be a recipe for disaster -- I'm certain this situation would have played out quite differently with me and MY little sister -- but Charlie's creativity and sense of fun save the day.

My seven-year old fussy eater nearly fell out of his chair laughing when we read this book. He clearly identified with, and enjoyed, Lola and her reasoning (for example, peas are "too small" and "too green"). While I'm pretty sure my son will not change his eating habits because of this story, it did give him a sense that he is not alone in the world with his funky tastes while reinforcing the idea that his tastes may change.

Great story, cute illustrations, good lesson.

Thanks to the mealtime antics of Charlie and Lola, my kids now ask every day if they can eat carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and peas. It's magic!

The books' pictures, typesetting and storyline are all fantastic, whether you are a child or adult. This and 'My Uncle is a Hunkle', also by Lauren Child, became instant favourites with the pre-schoolers and the adults the minute they entered our house.

Many young children don't like tomatoes. Some retain that distaste into adulthood. This story shows that stated fussiness about food can simply be a way of getting attention. Parents: Pay attention to this story! The colorful collages of photographs and childlike drawings bring excitement and freshness to the story.

Lola is a "small and very fussy" eater. Charlie is assigned by their parents to feed Lola.

Lola begins to expound her theories:

"carrots are for rabbits"

"peas are too small and too green"

Lola goes on to list peas, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, spaghetti, eggs, sausages, cauliflower, cabbage, baked beans, bananas, and oranges as banned items. She also notes her reservations about apples, rice, cheese, and fish sticks. "And I absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato." Sounds like peanut butter and jelly are coming up to me.

Then Charlie attacks directly by putting out some carrots. Lola looks at them and says, "Then why are those carrots there, Charlie?"

"Those are orange twiglets from Jupiter," says Charlie.

"Mmm, not bad," Lola replied, "and took another bite."

Charlie puts out peas and describes them as "green drops from Greenland" and Lola finds them "quite tasty."

Mashed potatoes become "cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji," and Lola decides "I love to eat clouds."

Fish sticks become "ocean nibbles from the supermarket under the sea -- mermaids eat them all the time." Lola wants to know if she can have more.

Suddenly Lola turns the tables, "Charlie, will you pass me one of those?" Lola continued, "Yes, of course, moonsquirters are my favorite." "You didn't think they were tomatoes, did you, Charlie?"

Obviously, Lola knows that they are playing a game, and she likes it. The new game seems like more fun than laying down the law about what she will and won't eat. The game puts her in charge by letting her name the foods, as well as her usual game of saying what she will not eat. Charlie makes room for Lola to assert herself, and all is well.

With children, there is a tendency to treat them like subjects of a King or a Queen. Actually, they feel quite grown up at a young age and want to have some autonomy. Choice of foods can simply be a testing of limits. But all children would rather have fun, and can easily be distracted by making the potential confrontation into a game, instead. This book eloquently makes that point, and ensures many more peaceful hours in many households.

After you finish reading the story, you should think about where else you can kid your child out of her or his bad mood. Come to think of it, when will that approach work with adults as well?

Look for the potential to improve every communication!

We purchased this book for our 3 year old after enjoying "I am not tired and will not go to bed." We have enjoyed reading this book as much and it has an added perk....our very "fussy eater" now eats cloud fluff and green drops. It was as easy as making a reference to the book one night at supper and all of the sudden he ate a whole bowl of cloud fluff and some green drops (he also tried some orange twiglets!) The Charlie and Lola books are very imaginative and fun to read. I highly recommend purchasing them.

I'm Lizbeth, a third grader in Salton City, California. This book is about Lola and Charlie. Most of the story is about Lola who hates food. Then Lola loves food. I felt surprised about the book. I learned that some people are picky about their food. I love this book because it tells you about vegetables. They are good for you. I hope all you people that are looking at this page buy it!

Get the non-pop up, the story is really wonderful and funny - not a boring read for mom and dad. I'm very disappointed, though; I love this book and we used to get it all the time from the library (non-pop up). We could only find the pop up hardcover online and it doesn't work well at all. The flow is hard to follow, too, and I'm always missing part of the story as I read, and having to go back.