Eats

by Marthe Jocelyn, Tom Slaughter

With a fresh cast of animal characters — and what they eat — the creative team of Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter has produced another work in their award-winning series for very young book and art lovers.

Marthe Jocelyn’s simple concept of matching creatures — familiar and unusual — with their favorite foods is brought to life by the sparkling colors and masterfully cut paper shapes of Tom Slaughter’s illustrations; a first taste of modern art. And the surprise final picture makes a satisfying dessert.

Previous titles have received acclaim from Japan to Denmark, from France to Mexico. Enhancing a child’s visual and verbal vocabulary, Eats makes a joyful addition to the collection.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Storytime, Childrens, Animals

16 pages, Board Book

First published September 11, 2007

About the author

Canadian born
22 books published for young readers"

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that introduces children to the fact that every animal has to eat something to stay alive. I guess this is a realization that we all must face; and sometimes I think it can be a hard subject to introduce to a small child who is sensitive. This book does a nice job of looking at the subject from a fun and interactive way.

[Gail Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This book has no narrative at all, just two words on each simply illustrated page. One word is an animal name, the other is the name of something it eats. The reader (or reader and a child listener) adds the rest. When I had young children, I was not a fan of these kinds of books. I need story! However, Eats was a huge hit with a three-year-old family member. I believe a couple of us read it with him three times over a long weekend. I think the last page was the grabber for him.

A reminder that children's books are for children, not adults."

Excerpt from Original Content

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the earliest readers (and great for those with low vision) this is a great concept book. Simple simple text: Worm apple. Giraffes leaves. Love the ending (and who eats ice cream?). Great for toddler storytime!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invite preschoolers to "read" the pictures and words: "Who likes to eat...?" Bold graphic design carries well for group readings.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows animals and the food they eat.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nice colorful book of animals and the foods they eat.

[Shel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jocelyn, M., & Slaughter, T. (2007). EATS. Plattsburgh, NY: Tundra Books.

9780887768200

As a concept book, Eats shares simple images of various animals and a common type of food that beasty eats.

Each page includes an animal pictured with that food labeled according to color codes. There are no complete sentences and if the child recognizes the animal and food chances are good the child will not even need to glance at the text. So, if a teacher is using this book to help with phonics or early literacy, a parent or teacher will have to remind the young reader to slow down and actually look at the words and sound them out.

This is a good book to incorporate the world and nature beyond a child’s familiar home.


Activities to Do with the Book:

Since all of the words in the text of this picturebook are in lower case, this would be an excellent book to share with students who are just learning to write their letters. It could be used with a child’s first trip to a zoo.

Before reading the book, a teacher could ask about a child’s favorite animals and what he or she knows about said animals. Then based off of the book, a teacher or parent could ask questions about what other animals and foods the child is familiar with, beginning with what he or she likes. A child could be prompted to name some of the locations where the animals live.

The book also incorporates many primary colors so a parent or teacher could ask the child to name the various colors and objects.


Favorite Quotes:

“worm”
“apple”

“bird”
“worm”

“squirrel”
“acorns”

[James Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how though this book looked simple in design and layout it was well thought out and designed incredibly well. I was mostly impressed with the artwork and how each animal corresponded with the food they ate. I think it would be a great book in teaching small children about animals and the foods they eat.

[Tanika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story has bright colorful pictures that show the name of an animal and the name of the food they are eating. This book teaches students names of animals and names of food they eat. With all the bright colors, it will be easier for them to remember. This is great for Ells

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations by Tom Slaughter bring this treatment to life in bold primary colors. The organization seems to point to something that is not delivered. But for very early readers, this is a sweet beginning to learning how all living creatures depend on food.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read my review here.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has bold, simple drawings and one word descriptions about who eats what. Lincoln likes it.

[sheba · Rating 5 out of 5]

indio squeals with laughter at the hilarity of animals and the foods they eat!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simple colorful book about animals and their eating habits. This is especially good for the very young because of the simple illustrations and short text

[Prplpckl · Rating 3 out of 5]

High contrast pictures and simple content. Reads more like a dictionary or encyclopedia for babies.

[Emily Matview · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each page of this book shows an enimal and what the animal eats. It's a nice idea, though for some reason the whale eats a squid instead of krill.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Same Same" is brilliant. This starts out cleverly, with Apple / Worm and then Worm / Bird, but immediately drops that and just becomes pretty pictures. Too bad.