I Eat a Rainbow

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Do we give food much thought? We should because a balanced diet is important to any child's health. The message is presented in an interesting way by using the colors of the rainbow, which in this case leaves out the indigo which is a shade of blue. The idea of presenting a variety of foods that match these colors, however, is a good one, but it is limited just to fruits and vegetables. There are no meat, dairy, or grain products. It will be up to the adult assisting the reader to point out that this book represents just a small part of the spectrum of foods that we should eat. The lesson about colors is laudable. Simple declarative sentences on crisp white pages accompanied by photographs of children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds make this an attractive book. Unlike many reader of this type, the vocabulary words are listed on the opening page and the closing page includes several notes to adults about the content and focus of the book and a suggested activity, which is in addition to the related activities presented on prior pages. This is a level "A" book in the "My World" series. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot