Penny's Reviews and Chat

Rude Dude’s Book of Food

By Tim J. Myers

Illustrated by Jess Smart Smiley

This book has a little bit of everything. It has history vignettes, quirky humor, even food poems. There are lots of trivia about foods that are a much-relished part of American life. It has health and nutrition tips—offering encouragement for kids to eat better and be healthier. However, first off, it’s about food that kids love and eat often. The language is often quirky, corny, and uses old and new slang to capture the attention of kids.

It begins with a history of chocolate and most folks can all learn something new here. I knew a bit about chocolate--that it came from the ancient Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztecs of what we call the New World--in Central America. What I didn’t know was it grows in huge pods on trees, that the native peoples mixed it with chiles, used it in religious ceremonies, and even used it as money. From chocolate, the Rude Dude moves on to discuss hamburgers, noodles, pizza, egg rolls, and fortune cookies--all foods that kids eat regularly.

 

In each chapter of the book, Mr. Myers includes more history snippets, his corny humor, and trivia. My very favorite parts are the little asides called “Keep Being Awesome.” In these set apart sections, he presents the best part of this book, health, exercise, and nutrition tips and pointers. He tells kids that half of what they eat—half of their plate—should be fruits and vegetables. The other half should be grains and protein. This is from the new USDA “My Plate” guidelines—a big improvement over the old and faulty food pyramid that I grew up with. To me, as a health food nut, it doesn’t go quite far enough—but it’s a beginning. I would have liked them to reduce the grains section.  The new guidelines don't have much to say about the dangers of sugar. Still, like I said, it's a beginning.

This book is recommended for reluctant readers, especially boys in grades 4 -6, who will likely enjoy the quirky and corny humor of the Rude Dude. The illustrations throughout the book, by Jess Smart Smiley, are simple, corny, and cute. Mr. Myers also includes Lesson plan guidance for teachers at the end of the book, showing how his book relates to the Common Core Standards and can be used in the classroom.

More information about the author, Tim J. Myers, is at http://www.timmyersstorysong.com/TM_Website/Homepage.html

I received a copy of the Rude Dude’s Book of Food, Stories Behind Some of the Crazy-cool Stuff We Eat, by Tim J. Myers, illustrated by Jess Smart Smiley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Tags:

Rude Dude, food history, chocolate, hamburger, pizza, egg rolls, fortune cookies, health and nutrition guidelines, My Plate by the USDA.