What you eat

K-Gr 3--This vibrant book explains the provenance of many beloved foods (though meats are conspicuously absent). In addition to noting where ingredients such as maple syrup or chocolate can be found, the book delves into the science behind their extraction and creation into edible items. Fisher breaks down familiar foods like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, and oatmeal raisin cookies into their most basic elements using photos, simple diagrams, and recipe-like instructions ("yogurt = milk + bacteria"). She also details the sources of milk and methods for procuring and processing it. VERDICT Browsers and those who enjoy almanacs and other nonfiction compendiums of miscellany will appreciate this work.--Lisa Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville

The sources and nutritional value of 17 commonly eaten foods are revealed along with additional nutritional information.The author/illustrator uses her "somewhat overwhelming collection of terrific tiny toys" to great advantage, starting with the cover. Layout and design include pleasing, alternating blocks of color on each page, with bold headings naming the foods. A handful of mathematical symbols easily show that white chocolate consists of milk chocolate minus cocoa mass and that the flour ingredient in a pizza crust comes from wheat. There is a long but crystal-clear path leading to the creation of a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, including the source of grape jelly's pectin and how peanuts are roasted. In fact, the only confusing part of the book is the unnecessary page that instructs "How to read this book." Simple explanations of such processes as cheese making and honey production include fascinating asides such as: "Honeybees visit 2,000,000 flowers to make one jar of honey." The overall look is retro, but the content is decidedly contemporary. Care was taken to include diversity in the human dolls and in pointing out six animals, in addition to dairy cows, whose milk is used by human beings. The text is accessible and playful. The 17 highlighted food choices, as well as the brightly colored chart advising readers to eat from "five food groups at every meal," will be tolerable to vegetarians but not vegans.Fun and fundamental food facts. (index, charts, glossary) (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.