Picture Book Review – Who Ate What? A Historical Guessing Game for Food Lovers

WHO ATE WHAT?:

A Historical Guessing Game for Food Lovers

Written by Rachel Levin

Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro

(Phaidon; $19.95, Ages 5-8)

Who Ate What? A Historical Guessing Game for Food Lovers by Rachel Levin is such an engaging book kids may forget they’re learning! The book is organized chronologically from cavepeople through what food of the future may be. In each of the ten historical groups, there are 15 food objects that kids will have fun looking for, especially when they realize three of these items are “off the menu.” I couldn’t help but play along—and I missed at least one in each section! For example, I guessed that cavepeople drank milk but then, when I turned the page, found that early humans couldn’t digest animal milk. One of my favorite “on the menu” items was hedgehog. These prickly critters were eaten by ancient Egyptians, and baked in a manner (thankfully) that removed the spines.

Each section has interesting edge-to-edge illustrations showing life during that period masterfully rendered by Natalia Rojas Castro. I especially like how she handles silly items such as delivered pizza or “ew” things like human eyes.

This nonfiction picture book educates, entertains, and (best of all) is enjoyable. Kids will gravitate to the pages about Vikings, ninjas, and pirates, but if you want to know which group ate snakes and which one ate flamingos, you’ll have to read the book.

• Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt (www.ChristineVanZandt.com), Write for Success (www.WriteforSuccessEditing.com), @ChristineVZ and @WFSediting, Christine@WriteforSuccessEditing.com