Sweets-&-Treats

Good Enough To Eat
Written by Brock Cole
Illustrated by Chroma Graphics PTE, Ltd.
Farror Strause Giroux, 2007
29 pages
Fantasy

            The title of this book, Good Enough to Eat, caught my eye.  From the cover and title, I thought it was a book about the strange things people eat.  I was wrong.  This is a book about a young orphan girl who has no home, parents, money or even a name.  The townspeople call her Scraps-and-Smells, Skin-and-Bones, or Sweets-and-Treats.  They thought of her as a burden and a bother.  They were rude and ugly to her.  She tried very hard to make what little money she could to have food to eat but sometimes she failed.  One day a large Ogre comes to the town looking for a bride and the townspeople decide that they can get rid of both their pests by offering the girl as his bride.  The Ogre was not pleased with their offering, so the girl thought and changed her situation.  To see how the young girl fares, grab this book and a cup of hot tea as you learn how to fight your way out of a sticky mess.

            The illustrations are in an impressionist style with rich water color paintings.  The art work is on every page with the text which is in what looks like a regal type font used during the early colonial times in England.  The colors are rich with naturals mixed with primary colors mixed in.  The illustrations give detail to the characters’ facial expressions.

            This book would be good for first through sixth grade.  The younger readers will enjoy having the book read aloud to them.  The older readers will enjoy the illustrations and meaning of prevailing out of a bad situation.  This book can be used in teaching about social studies by discussing how different areas in the world view homeless people and the poor.  In a language arts lesson, the children could write about how they would feel to be without a home, parents and food.  This book could also be used in a health lesson dealing with hygiene, food preparation and standard cleanliness.  Awards for Good Enough to Eat include honors from the American Library Association Notable Children's Books, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI), and Children's Books: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, from the New York Public Library