Let's Eat!

Let's Eat!
By: Ana Zamorano, Illustrated By: Julie Vivas
Scholastic Inc
June 1999
20-30 pages
Ages: 4-7 years.

Summary

This book is beautifully simple and it tells the story of a family in a small village in Spain and how each day they have lunch together at the same time and how everyday that week, someone different is missing from the lunch table with the heavily pregnant mother saying "Ay, que' pena! What a pity!"

I think anyone, especially large families with lots of children, would benefit from reading this book. This book shows the benefits of having regular meals with your family and how it brings you all together over-time. It shows how a regular family can interact with one-another without siblings insulting one another or fighting with each other.

I do not see any potential problems from reading this book. It just shows a lot of family unity and how a family can peacefully interact with one another on a regular basis. It also helps children and other readers become more aware of the different types of food people in Spain might eat, such as Chickpea soup, empanadas, sardinas (sardines), gazpacho (like a tomato soup that is eaten cold), roast pollo (chicken) and paella (a seafood dish eaten with rice.) If anything, this book encourages children to try new and different types of food.

Like Too Many Tamales, this book helped me become more aware of the different cultures around me and it helped me become more appreciative of them. I love this book more and more each time I read it not only because of the themes and storylines, but because of the unique illustrations.