Review: Now You Know What You Eat - Pictures and Answers for the Curious Mind by Valorie Fisher

978-1-338-21546-5

$17.99

Valorie Fisher dives deep into the science of what we eat and where ingredients come from by exploring what happens behind the scenes of favorite, everyday foods like pizza, honey, milk, maple syrup, vegetable soup, and more! With the help of bold, eye-catching yet simple graphics, inquisitive minds will love discovering what makes popcorn pop, why bread rises, and how bees make honeycomb. With this book peppered with facts like how many eggs a hen lays in a year and how many gallons of sap it takes to make one gallon of syrup, readers will be fascinated by all the amazing things they never knew about the food they eat! Now You Know What You Eat also includes a glossary, and a graphic about the food groups, as well as an introduction to vitamins and minerals. With a growing focus on STEM for this early age group, this book encourages readers to ask their own questions about the world around them, and to fall in love with discovering the answers!

I can't decide if I am finding this book cluttered and confusing or fascinating and informative. Not helpful? Perhaps I should say it will depend on the reader. My analytical 8yo who loves math and details enjoyed it: my 13yo whole-picture learner not so much. The usage of simple math symbols to show what foods are made up of, and where they come from, was interesting. I had no idea where baking soda came from!

Once readers get the hang of the symbols and structure of the book, all of the information is imparted clearly and with engaging infographics and illustrations. I would definitely hand this off to visual learners and those who, like my 8yo, want to know how things work together. You might also want to look at the first book in the series, "Now You Know How Things Work", also by Fisher. We will be ordering it soon!

Small note on cover design - I missed the "Now You Know" part, and everyone I have handed the book to has done the same. I know the first part is the series name, but it comes up in searches and in OCLC as the beginning of the title, so that could cause some confusion for searching patrons or librarians.