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The Runaway Dinner

(2006, Fiction - Picture Book, Written by Allan Ahlberg, Illustrated by Bruce Ingman)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 4; suggested age 4.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Kids will eat up this zany food chase.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 4 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    No real violence, but some of the personified food is eaten.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Runaway Dinner

Parents need to know that food is personified, named, and then eaten in this story. If kids have no issue with that, they'll find plenty to laugh at in the pandemonium that ensues as a result of the food chase.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how surprised they would be if their food jumped off their plate and ran away. Could that really happen? What would you do if it did? Do you believe the narrator when he says that this story is the "absolute truth, the complete picture"? Kids also might like to talk about the names of the characters, and come up with new ones they might choose. For starters, Banjo is an unusual name for a little boy.
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