A Few Bites

by Cybèle Young

Hardcover, 2012

Call number

E Y

Publication

Groundwood Books (2012), 48 pages

Description

When her brother Ferdie would rather play than eat, Viola spins a tale about how dinosaurs ate broccoli to escape predators and carrots provide alien super-vision, an effort repaid when Viola is tired and Ferdie presents a surprise.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Angie.Patterson
Young, Cybele. A Few Bites. Berkeley: Groundwood Books, 2012

Characters: Viola; Ferdie; their house cat

Setting: Various rooms in Viola and Ferdie’s house

Theme: imagination; creativity; farfetched storytelling; difficulty of getting children to eat their vegetables; siblings; food and cooking

Genre:
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Children’s fiction; picturebook

Golden Quote: “Pointing to his broccoli, he said, ‘What’s this? I’m definitely not eating it. No, thank you. I’m not even hungry.’ ‘Just try a few bites,’ pleaded Viola. But he shook his head.”
Summary: When her brother Ferdie would rather play than eat, Viola spins a tale about how dinosaurs ate broccoli to escape predators and carrots provide alien super-vision, an effort repaid when Viola is tired and Ferdie presents a surprise.

Audience: Children ages 4-7

Curriculum ties: language arts- write a story about the activities you like to do with your siblings or other family members; art- use the same methods the artist used and create your own similar work of art

Awards: None

Personal response: I wanted to really like this book, but after reading it, I don’t feel anything in particular stood out. The story is lacking and the illustrations are neat, but not amazing. In terms of plot, there is nothing clever or extraordinary. Big sister, Viola, makes up outrageous stories about the food she wants her little brother, Ferdie, to eat; hoping he will eat a least a few bites of each item on his plate. After two and half outlandish stories about broccoli and dinosaurs, carrots and aliens, and ravioli and deep sea creatures, Viola just gives up her storytelling because she can’t think of anything more to say. When this happened, I felt like the author gave up too. The only redeeming quality I found in A Few Bites is its ending. Because Ferdie does not finish all the food on his plate, he doesn’t get dessert; forcing him to use his own imagination to create imaginary sweet treats for both his sister and him to enjoy.
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LibraryThing member astares
Imagination is the focal point here that elucidates how life can be more fun with a little imagination. The story beings in black and white, but as the imagination and storytelling of how dinosaurs, aliens, and mermaids eat broccoli and such, the characters and the world they touch turns into
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color. The color does more than representing imagination. It enlists the reader to keep on reading and become excited at what the next page will be.
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Pages

48

ISBN

1554982952 / 9781554982950
Page: 0.9696 seconds