If you’re looking for a wholesome book for your child or students to chew on, try picking Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli, by Barbara Jean Hicks (illustrated by Sue Hendra). It’s a rollicking rhyming story where, in the voice of “monsters,” we hear all the reasons why they will not eat the healthy green veggie.
We’d rather snack on tractors,
or a rocket ship or two,
or tender trailer tidbits,
or a wheely, steely stew.
The monsters describe what they love to eat, and what they absolutely won’t abide by, but by the end of the story, they realize that those wonderful yummy trees they’re munching on are in fact, broccoli!
The art is bold, colorful and lively yet offers enough detail to give many additional “hunting” opportunities for the reader (such as the monster movie posters in the background on the nighttime rocket scene). Hendra also does a nice job at the end, where she transitions the monsters to a home scene where we see that the monsters eating broccoli are actually children.
Hicks has done a terrific job of making broccoli fun and inviting. This is a healthy pick for any parent or educator who wants to get kids to “go green” with their eating habits, and promote healthy eating.
Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks/ISBN 978-0-375-85686-0/2009 Alfred A. Knopf.
* Click here to view a cool video of Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli.