REVIEW: I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

Child, L. (2000). I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato. London: Orchard Books.

0763611883

Charlie shares the story of his little sister, Lola. He focuses on her "funny" eating habits and shares dialogue of why Lola thinks various foods are too gross to be eaten. The imaginative Charlie thinks of a way to convince his sister to eat a meal of all the foods she claims to hate.

Charlie's method...I won't go into specifics...is very creative. I can't actually see any children I know falling for it (but then, a teacher can ask, does Lola even fall for it?). But the sense of imagination, the ways of describing foods will impress and entertain most readers.

The style of the artwork and some of the fonts are fun, incorporating newspaper print, actual photos of various foods, and character illustrations that look as though they were drawn by a child.

This is one book in a much larger series featuring the characters, Charlie and Lola. And it's also worth noting that there is also a pop-up version of this story.

Activities:

A teacher or parent could use this book to discuss healthy eating habits and to encourage children to be more adventurous when it comes to eating certain dreaded foods (typed the girl who STILL won't touch lima beans. ICK!) Teachers could also use this book as an opening to have students share narratives (either orally or written) about their siblings or likes and dislikes based on the structure Charlie uses. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato could also be used as an example to show students what dialogue is.

This story can also be used with older siblings to share how it is important to help parents' with their younger siblings.

Quotes of Note:

"I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny."

"And I am not fond of apples OR rice OR cheese OR fish sticks. And I absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato." (My sister hates tomatoes.)"

"Oh, you think these are carrots.

These are not carrots.

These are orange twiglets from Jupiter."