Strange Foods
Authors: Michael J. Rosen and Ben Kassoy
Illustrator: Doug Jones
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
I love these "gross but true facts" books for kids, but I wish this one had gone further. Don't get me wrong. The authors made some great choices for which "strange foods" to showcase--including various bugs, long fermented fish, egg and cheese dishes, and several odd foods made of feet. Oh, and bird's nest soup and that coffee made of animal poop. Those are definitely all strange, but I wanted more! The book could have been three times longer and I would have been happy. Where was balut? I wondered (if you don't know what balut is, I urge you never to Google it. It's icky.). Where was turkey casserole? my daughter Magda wondered (I told my daughter that most people would not consider that a "strange" food but she remained unconvinced).Even though the book is short, it's very well done. The combination of photos, cartoon drawings and brief descriptions of each entry is sure to satisfy the curiosity of foodies and fans of the strange (and gross) alike. Perhaps they'll do a sequel? (Magda says they should include turkey casserole next time. Sigh.)
