A TRIP TO THE STORE

A mother and her daughters go shopping, demonstrating principles of a healthful diet in this debut kids’ book.

Sisters Maya and Zara help their mother shop for groceries. Maya suggests baked fish for dinner, so Mom picks up wild salmon and other ingredients; they get ground turkey, spelt tortillas, and other items for tacos tomorrow. The family discusses “real” versus processed food; checking ingredient lists; finding wholesome desserts; and avoiding trans fats. Mom explains that “Foods that are found in nature…are the best for your body.” The family cooks together and enjoys their meal. Information, suggestions, and sample menus follow. Dykky’s color illustrations convey the attractions of fresh food and help kids understand, for example, supermarket layouts and what nutrition labels look like. A cookie recipe gives clear instructions, although it doesn’t note the yield. Readers may be unfamiliar with concepts like “endosperm” or “antioxidants,” but Marcu, a health coach, provides diagrams and simple guidelines that kids can follow, such as “Foods that grow in nature are real foods.” But the book seems to assume that readers’ families can afford very expensive items, such as wild-caught salmon fillets; have sufficient leisure to cook meals from scratch; and can access stores with fresh produce and exotic ingredients such as goat yogurt and einkorn noodles.

Easy-to-understand food guidelines, aimed at the fortunate.