A story for today’s multicultural children,
encouraging a joy of food and eating well
Food, Food, Fabulous Food is a feast for the eyes, ears and taste buds.
Written by Kate Clynes for independent publisher Mantra Lingua, this book engages with themes of multiculturalism, sharing and eating well. The simple story, told in two languages, follows an appealing rhythm which will help children develop both their reading and speaking skills. Set on Multicultural Food Day, a day when children are encouraged to bring in foods from their cultures, you can see the processes of growing, shopping, preparing and sharing many different kinds of food.
Food, Food, Fabulous Food will bring children’s senses and imaginations alive: seeing, touching, smelling and tasting. It also encourages some adventurous eating! It is a joy to read, or sing, out loud, with plenty of topics for discussion.
Supported by a range of additional resources including teachers’ notes, recipes and activities, Food, Food, Fabulous Food presents a very versatile and engaging book that will encourage an interest in, and understanding of food and nutrition for young children.
A book for our multilingual society, Food, Food, Fabulous Food is available in 22 dual language editions: English with Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Czech, Farsi, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Kurdish Sorani, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Slovak, Somali, Spanish or Urdu.
Written by Kate Clynes for independent publisher Mantra Lingua, this book engages with themes of multiculturalism, sharing and eating well. The simple story, told in two languages, follows an appealing rhythm which will help children develop both their reading and speaking skills. Set on Multicultural Food Day, a day when children are encouraged to bring in foods from their cultures, you can see the processes of growing, shopping, preparing and sharing many different kinds of food.
Food, Food, Fabulous Food will bring children’s senses and imaginations alive: seeing, touching, smelling and tasting. It also encourages some adventurous eating! It is a joy to read, or sing, out loud, with plenty of topics for discussion.
“It’s inclusive, multi-cultural, has a wide appeal range and I think this book could stimulate a lot of discussion around many aspects of food eg. growing, shopping, food preparation and cooking."
Suzanne Wild, Libraries, Information and Culture, Manchester City Council“I love it! It’s beautiful.”
Erica Field, EMA Teaching & Learning Adviser (KS2-4), Early Help & Schools, Rochdale Borough CouncilSupported by a range of additional resources including teachers’ notes, recipes and activities, Food, Food, Fabulous Food presents a very versatile and engaging book that will encourage an interest in, and understanding of food and nutrition for young children.
A book for our multilingual society, Food, Food, Fabulous Food is available in 22 dual language editions: English with Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Czech, Farsi, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Kurdish Sorani, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Slovak, Somali, Spanish or Urdu.
PENpal – Innovation in audio for children’s books
Mantra Lingua’s PENpal is a device which brings dual-language audio to every page. When a reader touches the page, this clever, innovative digital pen reads out the text in any of the languages in the books.Listening to the rhythmic text of Food, Food, Fabulous Food in the Home Language and in English adds a new dimension to a child’s enjoyment and comprehension. PENpal users can skip freely between languages, and using the ‘record’ function can also capture their own voices in the book, encouraging role play and confidence, whilst improving their English literacy and oracy skills.
Mantra Lingua’s Supporting materials
Would your child happily eat a beetroot? Or a green pepper?What about if the beetroot was made into a vibrant, nutritious soup with the whole class helping? Or the green pepper placed on a perfect pizza after kneading and rolling the dough?
Participating in food activities such as preparing and cooking is not only a fun and engaging activity for children, but also supports social-emotional development, physical development and cognitive development. It can also encourage children to try new flavours and develop a healthy relationship with food.
Food can also be a fantastic way to encourage participation for a shy or EAL child. Introduce different tastes and eating experiences and use our supporting language exercises to encourage engagement and understanding.
Get creative and make some Fabulous Food art using ingredients such as dried pasta, or colour in your own exotic fruits!
Click below for easy recipes, fun activities and more!
Why is an understanding of food and nutrition important?
According to the Children’s Food Trust’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2016), the diets of young children aged one – five are:- Too high in sugar, saturated fat and salt,
- Too low in fruit and vegetables,
- Too little oily fish,
- Low intakes of fibre
- And low intake of some vitamins and minerals.
- More than a fifth of children being either overweight or obese by the time they join reception class,
- Type II diabetes starting to appear,
- Poor dental health in many young children,
- And more than one in four young children being at risk of iron deficiency, which is linked to a slower intellectual development and poor behaviour in the longer term.
Early Years learning about food and eating well is key to protecting health through childhood as well as setting the framework for future health and well-being. Mantra Lingua’s new book Food, Food, Fabulous Food can be a key tool for promoting and supporting healthy eating in Early Years settings.
