LUNCH is a delightful concept book in which a hungry mouse eats his way through a delicious lunch left on the kitchen table.
Fleming leaves each page with a sort of cliffhanger which makes for an exciting read with young children. Publisher’s
Weekly points out that, “The book’s design allows for some guessing games-each right hand page presents visual
and textual clues about what comes next in the progression.” Indeed, young readers will be very enthusiastic about the
opportunity to guess what will be next. One four-year-old shouted out guesses throughout the first reading, nearly tearing
the pages from the book in her frenzy to check her response. The first time, she missed the turnip and the peas and promptly
wanted to read it again. The second time through, she ripped the book from my hands and ran to have her mother read it to
her so that she could show how much she knew. After mom came dad and then me again.
The way Fleming describes the foods brings together the more obvious color words with some pretty interesting adjectives.
This is a great opportunity to introduce ways to describe objects. The great thing about the descriptions is that Fleming
chooses words that may seem a little abstract for young readers, but actually provide an excellent way to bring in new vocabulary.
Words like “tender”, “tart”, and “crisp” may seem difficult, but are quickly absorbed
by eager children. The four-year-old’s mother let me know that over the next few days, the child requested the foods
from the book, even wanting to see what a turnip tasted like. When she ate a carrot, she actually said, “Mmm, tasty!”,
the exact word used in the text to describe carrots!
Fleming’s pulp painting technique allows for amazingly bold and bright colors on each page. The illustrations are
fun to look at and the mouse seems happy and enthusiastic. At the end of the book, after the hilarious ending, there is a
page which shows the mouse stained with the rainbow colors of the foods he has eaten. Fleming has cleverly labeled the colors
with the name of the food, such as “black seeds” and “red apples.” LUNCH is a fun, interactive book
for young readers (and listeners) to enjoy with their families.
2002. Review of Lunch in Publishers Weekly.
