Book Review: Can I Play with my Food? by Ali Manning

I love books where you can see how passionate the author is. Can I Play with my Food? is Ali Manning’s childhood writing and art hobbies re-imagined into a wonderful book. And to find out one of the characters is based on her sister who has Down Syndrome adds to the wonderful diversity and inclusion that this book has.

We start off with some absolutely beautiful yet playful illustrations. There are bright colours and fun shapes, making this book engaging to a young audience. It had fun written all over it, and reminded me of good old 90’s cartoons that filled my childhood – excellent for an adult nostalgia factor, and even better for a fun, engaging set of pictures to show the children (who are the true audience of this book).

This book adds in nutritional education – describing how some foods come from seeds and the general process that a kid can understand. There’s also a pinch of science – making an explosion – to crank up the level of fun this book has. And, eventually, the book even goes into baking to explain further the science of mixing ingredients and adding heat to get a final product.

This book did feel kind of long for how many twists and turns it takes, but that’s just my personal opinion. I still think it’s a mighty fine book that goes into science and nutrition. I don’t see too many books that do that, so bonus points to this book!

Four out of five stars.

I received this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to grab this book and give it a read, here are some helpful links to start you on your reading journey:
Goodreads
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Kobo
Barnes & Noble

Do you love picture books? Do you want more to read? Well, I have some fantastic recommendations for you that have been featured on my blog:
Snowman Paul at the Concert Hall by Yossi Lapid
Scruffy Muffin Loses His Money by A.J. Kormon
Albert Einstein by Inspired Inner Genius

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