Book Review: How Did That Get In My Lunchbox?

Book Title: How Did That Get In My Lunchbox?: The Story of Food
Author: Chris Lutterworth
Illustrator: Lucia Gaggiotti

A Discovery Toys book that teaches kids about food sources. (Click to buy.)

How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? Is a brilliantly illustrated guide to basic food sourcing. The book tells kids the story of how several foods make their way to the supermarket and into their lunchbox. The author tells children how the food goes from farm to plate in simple, easy to understand language.

Discovery Toys suggests this book from ages 5-8 but I think it's never too early to start teaching your littles about where their food comes from. This book not only talks about the plant/animal source of food (i.e. bread from wheat stalks, cheese from cows) but also talks about the people involved, right down to the truck drivers that deliver the food from farms to factories to stores.

We're getting ready to head over to the farmer's market this morning and so Alex and I read this book after his breakfast. He really liked the colorful pages and I liked the rounded book edges as he's starting to grab at the book while I read (bookworm swoon!).

I love this book and think it's great for any child's library, especially if food education is important to you.

I purchased this book on my accord for Alex at a Discovery Toys party. I have not been reimbursed for this review in any way.

Book Review: Before I Dream Bedtime Bible Storybook

Review: Before I Dream Betime Bible Storybook by Karyn Henley

As we await little A's arrival, we have been reading a bedtime story each night. Yes, I read to my belly, and yes, he sometimes seems to respond. Recently we finished reading Karyn Henley's Before I Dream Bedtime Bible Storybook. I bought this book at an Abilene Educational Supply booksale and got the copy that came with a CD of music. The same issue with CD can be found on Amazon for about $50. You might try second-hand bookstores or Christian bookstore's clearance racks for a better deal. Tyndale gives it a retail value of $15, but it is currently out of print.

That being said, keep your eyes out for this book at any second-hand sales or your church's library! I loved reading through this book. It covers a variety of stories from the Old and New Testament, some children's classics such as Noah and David and Goliath, but also some lesser heard stories such as Samuel and Saul. A's favorite seemed to be the couple with Solomon.

Ms. Henley describes her purpose for the book as sending kids off to sleep with positive images in their minds. She does just that. Even when some of the more gritty stories are included, they are tastefully made child-friendly. There is plenty of onomatopoeia ("clip-clop, clip-clop" "whoosh") in the stories to help the reader and listener get into the spirit of things a bit more. Each story also has at least one illustration, and some have full page art.

Overall, this was a great book and I would highly recommend scooping it up if you find a copy!