Book Reviews
WE HAVE FEELINGS TOO!!!!!
By Janet Good
We Have Feelings Too!!!!! has a home-spun feel to it; however, it is a terrific book for teaching children about the fact that animals are killed for food. The story consists of a chick and a hen talking back and forth. The chick begins to ask the mother hen why animals are raised for food. Obviously, the chick begins to worry that he/she and his/her mother may be killed, too. The book is listed as being appropriate for children of all ages. Personally, I think the topic would be too complex for very young children.
We Have Feelings Too!!!!! (ISBN 0-9661602-8-2) is published by Hadassah Investments. This book contains black and white illustrations.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
THE SAUCY VEGETARIAN: QUICK AND HEALTHFUL NO-COOK SAUCES AND DRESSINGS
By Joanne Stepaniak
It is comforting, rewarding, and fun to cook elaborate vegetarian meals the two, or perhaps three, nights a week that the inspiration grabs you (and you have the time!). Unfortunately, that leaves you with four or five nights making sandwiches or steaming vegetables for a nutritious, but otherwise pallid repast. This slim volume from Joanne Stepaniak takes a holistic approach to the day-to-day construction of the vegan diet. While providing numerous raw dressings and sauces for everything from salad greens to pasta, brown rice, potatoes, or baked fennel, Stepaniak's greater agenda involves shaping a method of balancing flavors and textures. The idea is to teach the beginner cook to think about which foods match well together and to foster creativity in his or her kitchen. In this, the author is a great success. Though she does call for many ingredients which may prove hard to find, most of the recipe instructions are as simple as combining all the ingredients in a blender.
The Saucy Vegetarian (ISBN 1-5706709-1-9) is published and distributed by The Book Publishing Company, P.O. Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483, which can be reached at (800) 695-2241.
Reviewed by Michael Craven.
FOOD IS ELEMENTARY: A HANDS-ON CURRICULUM FOR YOUNG STUDENTS
By Antonia Demas, PhD
Food is Elementary is a research-based program modeled after the successful Trumansburg, New York, study, Food Education in the Elementary Classroom. This study, created by Antonia Demas at Cornell University as a doctoral dissertation, demonstrated a dramatic gain in acceptance of diverse, healthful foods among elementary school children participating in the school lunch program. Children completing the curriculum were found to be 20 times more likely to choose healthful foods in the school cafeteria as compared with children who had not been exposed to the curriculum.
Now the complete curriculum for Demas' award-winning school meals curriculum is available in an easy-to-use, spiral-bound workbook. Winner of the prestigious National Award for Excellence in Nutrition Education (Society for Nutrition Education, 1994) and the US Department of Agriculture's National Award for Most Creative Implementation of the Dietary Guidelines (1994), this unique, hands-on, experiential curriculum integrates academic disciplines with food, nutrition, culture, and the arts.
The Food is Elementary curriculum consists of 28 lessons designed to be taught in one academic year. Children prepare foods cooperatively with their peers. The first 14 lessons require no stove, while the second 14 lessons require students to cook on a hotplate. The curriculum can be adapted for use year after year, adjusting activities to accommodate the changing abilities and needs of students in higher grades. Best of all, the recipes are all vegan. This book is highly recommended.
Food is Elementary is published by Food Studies Institute. The book is 152 pages.
