Bread and Jam for Frances (I Can Read Level 2)

by Russell Hoban

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Local notes

R Hob

Barcode

2882

Collection

Publication

HarperCollins (2008), Edition: I Can Read Book 2, 45 pages

Description

Frances decides she likes to eat only bread and jam at every meal--until to her surprise--her parents grant her wish.

Awards

Indies Choice Book Award (Picture Book Hall of Fame — 2013)

Original language

English

Original publication date

1964

Physical description

45 p.; 6 inches

Media reviews

Publishers Weekly
Frances loves nothing better than jam and bread, and turns up her nose at other kinds of food. Then her mother starts giving Frances jam and bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. "What I am/is sick of Jam," Frances sings to herself. That's the end of Frances's jam-only days, as she discovers, in
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her own winsome way, that variety really is the spice of mealtimes.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member MeditationesMartini
F*ck yeah, Russell Hoban! Not only are you my best bud writer of weird gnarly books for grownups, you also wrote this book about how to trick your kid into eating some proper food once in a while that, granted, I don't need because Emmett has the discerning palate of a grownup reader of gnarly
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books, but that if I did need I never would have thought of on my own, so, uh, many para-thanks, I guess, for this book that was also fun and cute!

(It took me 2,066 LibraryThing reviews to find occasion to use the word "gnarly"?!? I'm clearly not living right)
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LibraryThing member Pebbles2029
When I was a child, I adored this book. Like Frances and her addiction to bread and jam, I was addicted to this book. The book is one not only of gentle entertainment, but also teaches the reader about trying new things and exploring differences. Years later, my mother gave the book to me as a lark
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but I admit I've read it over a few times (and no, I don't have children to use as an excuse!).
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LibraryThing member hnebeker
This is a great way to help children learn about the wonderful reasons to try new foods and also a good reference when dealing with picky eaters. I think this book could actually be helpful if used in a lesson plan about nutrition for young children. The fact that Frances gets sluggish and bored
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when she eats only bread and jam for days could be used to point out that we don't feel so great when we eat poorly. One of my favorite things about Hoban's writing is how he depicts Frances's parents. They always allow Frances to figure things out for herself. In this world of "helicopter parenting" I think his books could easily be just as beneficial to parents as they are to children. There is a certain wisdom in how her parents react (or don't). Another great educational tale about our friend Frances.
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LibraryThing member jeriannthacker
Frances will eat nothing but bread and jam until that's all she's given and life gets boring. Super cute story, Frances is a character.
LibraryThing member mix002
One of my daughter's favorites! I made up a song for the bread and jam part of this book.
LibraryThing member conuly
Frances is a picky eater. She likes bread and jam because it's consistent.

Her parents are understandably upset by this, but they deal with it in the most practical way - they give her exactly enough bread and jam to fill her up for life.

The story is resolved very quickly, after only a day, but
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satisfyingly. "How do you know what I'll like if you don't even let me try it?" indeed.
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LibraryThing member eward06
This represents a Modern Fantasy because it would not be possible in real life. The animals could not really talk, but the story concepts can be understood in our world. The media used is sketches and watercolors. Frances is a round character in that we continually find out more about her as the
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story unfolds. She is revealed through the narrator, her actions, her interactions with others, her appearance and her thoughts. This is best for the Primary and Intermediate levels.
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LibraryThing member jgabica
This book is an example of fantasy because of the characters: talking animals. Frances only eats bread and jam until she is sick of it and wants to try other foods too. Very cute story! Media: pencil and watercolor
LibraryThing member kyoder06
Age appropriateness: primary
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Media: pen and ink

This is a great example of modern fantasy because the main characters are animals and they take on human characteristics; they talk, eat, go to school, and do all kinds of things that we do on a regular basis.
LibraryThing member MrsLee
The very best Francis book. Full of her wonderful songs: "Jam on biscuits, jam on toast, jam is the thing that I like most." A good lesson in picky eating.
LibraryThing member allawishus
I never realized how much this book shaped my feelings about food when I was little! I remember really identifying with Frances when her Mom didn't serve her any spaghetti and meatballs - I might have even cried! It was about so much more than just being a fussy eater - it was about being
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recognized and having choices! The psychological complexity of the story is astounding! I'm sort of kidding . . . but not really. ;)

My favorite part is the extravagant lunches Frances and her friend Albert bring with them to school - and there's almost a fetish going on with the loving descriptions of salt shakers and puddings and custards and the concept of "making it all come out even"!

I have so much love for this book and the whole Frances series.
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LibraryThing member korneder
Mrs. Gorham's favorite book, good to use for discussion about trying new things
LibraryThing member arielaver
Frances is a picky eater, she only wants bread and jam, but through the course of this story, she learn to broaden her food perspective. I love the character of Frances! She is so relatable and such an honest portrait of a child. I love her songs.
LibraryThing member dfarhat
All Frances wants to eat is bread and jam. When her mother gives her what she wants for breakfast, lunch and midday snack--Frances realizes there's something to be said for variety.
LibraryThing member SaraLukaszewicz
This is a story about a badger, named Francis, who is a picky eater. All she wants to do is eat bread and jam. She refuses to try anything new that her parents offer her. She even makes up sweet little rhymes about the foods that she finds unpalatable. Her parents decide to give Francis as much
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bread and jam as she wants. She eats it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can guess what happens next. Francis gets sick of bread and jam and decides to try other foods. This is a great story about picky eaters and not being afraid to try new things.
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LibraryThing member KarlNarveson
This book, like so many of the picture books parents buy, is a fantasy of wish-fulfillment. See also Bedtime for Frances, by the same author. This book belongs to the subgenre in which the consummation is seeing children eat what's put in front of them.

My current three-year-old has asked to have it
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read to her several times. I have taken inspiration from the lovingly described box lunches taken to school by Frances's friend Albert and by the reformed Frances herself.
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LibraryThing member shayneshupe
I asked my wife to read this because she is a picky eater.
LibraryThing member LDGardner
Frances loves bread and jam so much that she refuses to try any other food. Even her baby sister, Gloria, will try poached eggs for breakfast and veal cutlet for dinner, but Frances thinks they are slimy and soft. She wants bread and jam instead. At school, she even trades her lunch for a bread and
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jam sandwich. When her parents beg her to try something new, she insists that she only likes bread and jam because she knows what she will get every time. So, her mother decides to indulge her, and she begins to give her bread and jam for every meal of the day, not even offering her the food she has cooked for the rest of the family. Eventually, Frances tires of the bread and jam and secretly hopes that she could have a gourmet lunch like her friend Albert does. At dinner one night, she breaks down and cries, asking her mother to give her a chance to like some new food. Her mother is delighted, and the next day, Frances brings a fancy lunch to school to show off to Albert. She is content with her decision to branch out with her food choices.
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LibraryThing member vanessa6
I'm not fond of this book. The art work seems unappealing to me. The plot has a good point though. You shouldn't be stubborn and you should be willing to try new foods. I think it could be good tto use when addressing picky students.
LibraryThing member missamellon
Having a favorite food is one thing. refusing to eat anything else is something else entirely. Frances the badger learns what it is like to get bored with her very favorite snack. The illustrations are some of the cutest around.
LibraryThing member HeatherSilva
Great beginner book for students who are reading on their own. There are many different Frances books that relate to different things. Many different students could potentially connect with the text.
LibraryThing member slovepb
Frances will only eat bread and jam until her parents just give remove the other options and just give her bread and jam. Great for encouraging children to try more food choices.
LibraryThing member kredlove
Frances mom really taught me something about how to get kids to eat dinner without forcing, fighting, pleading or yelling at them. Patients is the key!
LibraryThing member kmunsey
Frances loves nothing better than jam and bread, and turns up her nose at other kinds of food. Then her mother starts giving Frances jam and bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. "What I am/is sick of Jam," Frances sings to herself. That's the end of Frances's jam-only days, as she discovers, in
Show More
her own winsome way, that variety really is the spice of mealtimes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nholbrook
"Bread and Jam for Frances" is a clever book about a little badger who decides she will only eat bread and jam. When her parents stop offering her other foods, she realizes that it might not be so great after all. This book is clever and entertaining while also teaching a life lesson.

Pages

45

Rating

(363 ratings; 4.2)
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