What do You Think of This Book Series?

[moonlightsonata]

Hi everyone

I notice my young nieces and nephews can point out McDonalds and other fast food type places already but they can't identify a lot of fresh fruit and veg. I think if there was a series of books using anthropomorphic fruit and veg characters that introduced what these foods are and how they are grown combined with fun stories then they'd be more inclined to try these foods.

Back in the day, Munch Bunch and The Garden Gang seemed well received so the characters would be along those lines.

What do you think? Is this a book series that you think would help? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

thank you :)

[OutragedFromLeeds]

I'm not sure that giving carrots a personality, a family and a life would encourage children to eat them tbh!

I think established characters like Peppa Pig, Harry, Charlie and Lola etc. eating veg and doing stuff related to that probably helps.

Really though, the kids that can identify KFC, but don't know what a carrot is are being failed by their parents and a talking carrot won't fix that.

[moonlightsonata]

thanks for your input :)

I guess I was thinking along the lines of liking the fruit/veg characters and being able to spot them while shopping with their parents ie there's Polly Parsnip, Andy Aubergine etc (* not real character names) and be more inclined to try a variety.

Yes popular characters like Peppa etc can be seen to eat healthy food for dinner and the kids may want to imitate that but most episode won't be focused on it like the fruit/veg characters would.

The kids I speak of do know the typical/popular fruit/veg. I just recall one time being saddened that they pointed and said McDonalds but couldn't point to say a parsnip or aubergine and know what it was. I guess I'd just like them to know ALL fresh food as young as possible.

thanks again for your response :)

[PandaNot]

It's already been done as you said - munch bunch etc. Also my dc eat lots of veg, have healthy diets, help dh at the allotment but probably couldn't identify a parsnip or an aubergine because I don't like them so we don't grow them or eat them, ever!

[moonlightsonata]

thanks for sharing! That's great they help out at the allotment :)

Yeah since similar characters have been done and enjoyed in the past it seems something similar is missing nowadays was my line of thinking. The munch bunch/garden gang didn't incorporate where they came from, how they are grown in addition to the fun stories.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, really appreciate it!

[OutragedFromLeeds]

I think you'll struggle to cover how they grow/are eaten with anthropomorphic veg. How would the story go? Here is Mr Carrot and his carrot children growing in the mud, here they are being picked and transported, oh dear Mr Carrot and the carrot children have been chopped up and are being boiled....That's why the munch bunch never got eaten!

Maybe a story about a gardener would be better?

[moonlightsonata]

Thanks for the reply!

The character would be introduced showing where and how its grown. the characters wouldn't be eaten, that would be quite the short story and abrupt ending hehe.

Let's take the potato as an example, he'd show where he came from how he's grown speak of health benefits and show how the "non character" potatoes can be mashed, jacket potatoes etc and then he can go off and have a fun adventure story told about him.

Or there could be one man character, let's just take the potato again and he can be the one who visits each new fruit/veg shows where they come from/grown etc and then the rest of the story is those 2 having a fun outing together.

[moonlightsonata]

*main character

[DeWee]

I seem to remember someone had a very similar idea presented on Dragons' den. They didn't get the money.

For what it's worth, I loved the Garden gang (wasn't the author about 8yo?) but it never encouraged me to eat veg even when dm was saying "have some Polly parsnip[".

[AFingerofFudge]

Or it could we against you. DS3 who had been pretty good eating his veg has now "gone off" number of them since collecting the Goodness Gang soft toy fruit and vegetables that you collected tokens and bought with the co-op last year. His favourite is Bobby Broccoli and he loves him so much, takes him around with him and consequently won't eat broccoli any more!!

[moonlightsonata]

@Dewee

Oh I think I recall that Dragons Den episode now that you mention it. haha yeah true, not all good intentions have the desired effect.

@AFingerofFudge

lol good point, that's something I considered could happen! Sorry that's the case esp when he ate brocolli before :(

[iseenodust]

It sounds very worthy and educational (not a bad thing) but you seem to be trying to sell it as a piece of fun fiction. Maybe you could split it with a book about fun veg characters and then have a website that expands on growing, cooking etc?

[moonlightsonata]

@iseenodust

yes, that's defo an option, thank you :)