Fruit and vegetables
It can be difficult to persuade little ones to eat their greens or munch on some fruit - but books might help!
We've put together a list of lovely stories that either have themes of healthy eating or feature plant-based characters.
So whether you want to promote the power of avocados or learn all about a veggie vampire, you'll find books to make little tummies rumble here...
-
No More Peas
Author: Madeleine Cook Illustrator: Erika Meza
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Interest age: 4-5
Oliver only wants to eat chips and pizza for dinner. But Daddy keeps cooking vegetables – yuk! A story about growing vegetables, eating healthily and being brave enough to try new things.
-
The Runaway Pea
Author: Kjartan Poskitt Illustrator: Alex Willmore
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 4-8
Reading age: 5+It’s time for tea! But this plate full of veggies are VERY shocked when one little pea decides that, no, he does NOT want to be eaten, thank you very much. It’s not time for tea; it’s time for adventure!
With a hop, skip and a jump, this independent pea is seeking freedom. But what challenges will he meet along the way? Squidging through tomato ketchup, spla…
-
The Runaway Pea Washed Away
Author: Kjartan Poskitt Illustrator: Alex Willmore
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Interest age: 4-5
The Runaway Pea returns in this madcap adventure which sees him washed down the plughole and on his way to the big wide world!
-
We Eat Bananas
Author: Katie Abey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Interest age: 4-7
Reading age: 5+Animal friends chomp their way through a variety of different meals in this cheerful celebration of food. Bright, bold illustrations are full of humorous detail and the book is a delight to share with young children.
-
When Cucumber Lost His Cool
Author: Michelle Robinson Illustrator: Tom Knight
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 3-6
A super-chilled cucumber hands out confidence tips to his foody friends, but when he starts to feel left out, he totally loses his cool. Exploring anxiety and jealousy, this laugh-out-loud story is a super fun way for children to think about emotions.
-
Avocado Asks
Author: Momoko Abe
Publisher: Hachette Children's
Interest age: 4-8
Is Avocado a fruit or a vegetable? He sets off to find out, but Tomato shows him that it really doesn't matter if he isn't easy to categorise. A witty allegory about identity.
-
Fruit in Suits
Author: Jared Chapman
Publisher: Abrams
Interest age: 2-5
It's time to go swimming, and everyone has a different swimming suit. The quirky twist is that all the keen swimmers are... Items of fruit! This book is very, very silly but has oodles of charm, with an underlying message about difference and having fun.
-
Colin and Lee: Carrot and Pea
Author: Morag Hood
Publisher: Two Hoots
Interest age: 3-5
Colin is a carrot, and Lee is a pea. An amusing and deceptively simple look at friendship and difference, this is a lovely book for young readers.
-
Gary’s Banana Drama
Author: Jane Massey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 2-5
When Gary the gorilla runs out of bananas he is forced to go out and find more but although he sees bananas everywhere, he can’t eat a single one of them! Hilarious and packed with visual puns.
-
Orange Pear Apple Bear
Author: Emily Gravett
Publisher: Macmillan Children's books
Interest age: 0-3
Emily Gravett's colourful yet sparse illustrations cleverly depict a bumbling bear interacting in many different and imaginative ways with the fruit mentioned in the title.
-
Kitchen Disco
Author: Clare Foges Illustrator: Al Murphy
Publisher: Faber
Interest age: 3-5
Did you know when you go to sleep all the fruit in the bowl comes to life and has a fun-filled, night long party?
-
Avocado Baby
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox Picture Books
Interest age: 3-7
Reading age: 5+Mr and Mrs Hargreaves' new baby is the fussy kind and doesn't seem to want to eat anything. Until he eats avocadoes – and gets bigger and stronger than anyone could have guessed. Avocado Baby is a total joy, full of surreal, off-kilter humour.
-
I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato
Author: Lauren Child
Publisher: Orchard
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 5+Charlie tricks his younger sister, Lola - an extremely fussy eater - into eating all her least favourite foods.
-
Hugo Makes a Change
Author: Scott Emmons and Mauro Gatti
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Interest age: 4-5
A simple and accessible book with rhyming text and lovely, bright illustrations, all about the importance of healthy eating, having a balanced diet and trying new foods.
-
Banana!
Author: Ed Vere Illustrator: Ed Vere
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 2+
Reading age: 5+Follow the cartoon-style adventures of two monkeys. One of them has a banana and the other one wants it - but what is the magic word?
-
T-Veg: the story of a carrot-crunching dinosaur
Author: Smriti Prasadam-Halls Illustrator: Katherina Manolessou
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Interest age: 5-7
Reading age: 7+Reg dares to be different - he is a vegetarian T-Rex.
-
Each Peach Pear Plum
Author: Allan Ahlberg Illustrator: Janet Ahlberg
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 0-4
This classic book from author and illustrator team Janet and Allan Ahlberg is a real favourite with families
-
Supertato: Veggies in the Valley of Doom
Author: Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 4-7
Reading age: 5+The latest book in the Supertato series brings another fast-paced and colourful story, full of exciting twists and turns. But as well as being an adventure story full of fun and laughter, it’s also a sweet tale about friends who always look out for each other.
