Showdown At the Food Pyramid

by Rex Barron

There's trouble afoot at the Food Strange new junk food like "candy bar" and "hot dog" are kicking off all the healthy food to have their own party. Even poor Granny Smith apple gets the boot! As the fruits and vegetables try to regroup, the junk keeps the party going. But no pyramid can support all that junk for long-when it comes time to rebuild, will the healthy foods be able to find the right balance? With different diets receiving so much attention in recent years, nutrition can be a confusing topic for young readers, so Rex Barron uses a simple story and animated edibles to present an easy introduction to the basic concepts of healthy eating as recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Health, Food, Science

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2004

About the author

Rex Barron is a film animator who has become a book illustrator. Born in New Jersey, educated at UCLA and Art Center College of Design, he now lives in New Mexico. While working in the film industry he was an illustrator, animator and background design artist for animation studios including Hanna-Barbera, Ralph Bakshi Productions and Filmation Studio in Los Angeles. While in California he worked for film and television productions including The Lord of the Rings, Starchaser, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and The Pink Panther.

For the last fifteen years. Rex has presented at schools and education
industry conventions across America, including several trips to Europe,
where he worked with the European Council of International Schools
and the Department of Defense Dependants' Schools (DoDDS).

Rex loves to play folk guitar, listen to classical music, and attend figure drawing and painting workshops.

Reviews

[June Guymon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute read and is an attention grabber with food names like "King Candy Bar" and "Carolina Cucumber." Great, vibrant pictures for kids to see.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the junk foods start to tip the food pyramid, the healthy foods must rally in an ultimate battle to prove who belongs.

This book offers an imaginative way to explain the food pyramid. It never became as dramatic as the title suggests, but it's brilliantly accurate and has delightful illustrations. I don't think most children would pick this book themselves, but it has the potential to be a great teaching tool.

[Christine.Newmanbetheluniversityedu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Children's literature, Fiction Grade: K-3
This book is a good read to teach the food pyramid. Pictures are colorful and attention grabbing. The lesson from the book is that a variety of food from the food pyramid is a great way the food work together for a healthy you. It could also be e a good lesson for working together.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are really, really wonderful and carry the educational story of the food pyramid.

[Lionheart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated five stars
Ages 8+
-
A great book for explaining the food pyramid to kids! (Mom asked me to review this, I would not normally have read it :) )

[Kiersten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is outdated and the illustrations creeped me out

[Hannah Dull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Informational
Grades: 2-3rd grade

I used this book with a lesson on healthy eating for one of my classes. It is a great book to start a conversation on healthy food choices. It is not super updated since they're not using the plate instead of the pyramid, but it is still a great way to inform the students of the basics of healthy eating. It has a fun spin to it to keep it interesting for the students, rather than just giving facts.

[JP's · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4 stars is mostly because my 4-year old daughter really digs this book. She really gets into it when Hotdog kicks Granny Smith Apple off of the food pyramid..."oooohh! that is WRONG! He is a BAD guy!" (This is from a kid who loves hotdogs.) She still eats hotdogs, but she is now aware of what is healthy food vs. junk food, thanks to this book. She gets that it's good to have a balanced diet. And sometimes I can get her to try vegetables when I remind her of the good guys in the Food Pyramid book...sometimes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun addition to a healthy eating unit with lively colored pencil illustrations of the various foods shown in the classic food pyramid. It tackles the concept of balance by showing how unhealthy foods like candy bars and ice cream could topple the whole system if too present in the diet. Now that the food pyramid is outdated, this isn't a good title to buy, but is still useful if already in the collection.

[Danielle Mootz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I had to laugh at this book that now is dated AND I actually know this because I learned all about the food pyramid's replacement, MyPlate last semester in a college nutrition class. No matter, the good and evil of the food world is still a standoff between fruits and vegetables and ice cream and cookies no matter how our government reorganizes it's recommendations, just as the story reads. Besides, as a child of the food pyramid generation it's kinda my alma matter.

[Guadalupe Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was hilarious. I think it is a fantastic was to talk with students about nutrition. The book discusses the reasons why we need to eat healthy. This book also teaches children to take responsibility to make good choices in the foods the eat.

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is such a cute idea and story! I enjoyed reading it, but the way the food talks about the food pyramid makes it sound like the food pyramid is a religion or a god. That's the only part of the book I wasn't too keen on.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The food pyramid is in trouble because some sugary snacks are trying to take over! Eventually the pyramid falls over because it is too top heavy. Can the healthy food rebuild it as it once was?

Always a sucker for illustrations that anthropomorphize food.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we read my child said, "I'm never going to eat candy again, Mom." I think he understood the point, that we should eat healthy food!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about nutrition and the food pyramid. Wish the illustrations were a little more freah though.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming, funny book which will drive the point home with kids on healthy food habits.

[The Book Box]

Mama read this to me and my brother the other night. We thought it was going to be more about wrestling than educational, but my brother liked it because he is learning about the food pyramid now.

[Morgan Comeaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book but it out of date nutrition wise lol