Just Try One Bite
Hilarious role reversal is relatable for the whole family.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Camila Alves McConaughey -- mom, healthy food advocate, and wife of Matthew McConaughey, and New York Times best-selling author Adam Mansbach have teamed up to make the whole family laugh with Just Try One Bite. In it, three kids are on a mission to get their stubborn parents to try new healthy foods like broccoli, beets, and yams, using every parenting tactic under the sun. In the process, they teach about the importance of good food choices and healthy eating habits. At the same time, the message is that it's not necessary to completely cut out favorite snacks and it's OK to occasionally indulge in not-so-healthy meals, but balance is necessary to benefit the body.
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What's the Story?
JUST TRY ONE BITE is a really fun role reversal story. In it, the parents are the picky eaters and the kids are the ones pleading with Mama and Papa to eat healthy foods. The family features a brown-skinned mother, a White father, and biracial children. Through rhyme and realism, the kid narrator blasts their parents' unhealthy eating habits, like eating ice-cream sundaes for breakfast, a whole jar of mayonnaise for lunch, and French fries they found on the floor of their car. The narrator teaches their parents why their bodies need fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. Using typical parenting tactics, the kids request, bribe, cajole, and ultimately send their parents straight to bed without stories before the picky eaters give in and try one bite. Mama's and Papa's reactions may surprise kid readers, but parents who have been through similar experiences with picky eaters likely know how the story ends.
Is It Any Good?
The entire family will laugh out loud during this relatable read-aloud. In Just Try One Bite, the rhymes are realistic (though sometimes a little difficult to catch) and Mike Boldt's illustrations are hilariously compelling. Parents will identify with the kid characters' desperation when trying to get a picky eater to eat. Kids will identify with the parent characters' frustration of not wanting to try new foods. Casting a biracial family to portray the universal struggle of persuading a picky eater makes the story engaging for so many different types of families. Camila Alves McConaughey's passion for healthy eating and Adam Mansbach's comical spin on a common parenting issue merge to make a delightfully unique picture book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about healthy food options in Just Try One Bite. What kinds of food do the kids want their parents to eat? Why should they eat these kinds of foods? What should the parents give up? Why?
What are some ways the kids try to get Mama and Papa to eat good foods? Do these methods work in the story? Do you think they work in real life?
What are your favorite healthy foods to eat?
Book Details
- Authors: Adam Mansbach, Camila Alves McConaughey
- Illustrator: Mike Boldt
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Cooking and Baking, Brothers and Sisters, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
- Publication date: March 22, 2022
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: April 1, 2022
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