Burger Boy

by Alan Durant, Mei Matsuoka (Illustrations)

Benny likes burgers. Benny loves burgers. In fact, burgers are the only food that Benny ever eats. “If you don’t watch out, you’ll turn into a burger one day,” warns his mom.

And one day, Benny does.

Hilarious, roly-poly illustrations capture Benny’s wacky transformation and the chaos that ensues. A delectable cautionary tale, this is a rollicking read-aloud that’s certain to tickle picky eaters (and their parents) everywhere.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Storytime, Childrens, Humor, Kids, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Alan Durant is the author of books for a wide age-range, from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers (Blood, Flesh and Bones). Having worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, he is now a full-time author.

He's married, with three children and lives just outside London. He does a lot of school visits throughout the UK and abroad and also runs writing workshops.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you don't watch out, you'll turn into a burger one day," warned his mom.

A cautionary tale that advises moderation in all things.

Mei Matsuoka's illustrations are darling.

[Alex1]

Benny didn’t like vegetables. The only food he liked were burgers. His mom said that he would turn into a burger. It did happen one day after he and his mom finished food. A dog sniffed him and thought he was a burger. All ten dogs chased him. He ran and asked for help. He went into a field with cows. Cows were angry and also chased him because he ate too many burgers. Then he ran into a group of boys who also chased him because they thought hw was a burger. The road was blocked. A van stopped before him. The driver was the owner of the burger store. Benny thought he was safe, but the owner put him on display and sold him as talking burger. His mom run into the store and said that he was my boy. She took him home and feed him with fruits and vegetables. Slowly he turned into a boy. He loved vegetables. His mom warned him one day he would turn into a carrot. It is a funny story. We need to eat balanced food.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy who loves burgers eats so many that he turns into one. He is chased by all sorts of things that want to eat or exploit him until his mother saves him and makes him eat vegetables to transform back into a boy. A good message in today's overweight society, but I didn't like the ending.

The illustrations are colored pencil, acrylic and cut paper. They are simple, in bright colors and the people have large round cartoon heads.

[Ralf Urbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and i always tell our children, if we eat too much pizza you'll turn into one, and thats precisely what happens here only with hamburgers. Very entertaining to watch my kids expressions and ask "can you really turn into something that you have too much of?" Funny read and fairly decent illustrations to go along.

[Julia Boykin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benny is the main character, he loves burgers and it is the only thing he will eat. He dislikes all vegetables and will not eat them. His mother tells him that if he eats only burgers, that he will turn into a burger. And he does. Benny becomes a burger and has cows, dogs, and even hungry boys chasing him. He gets picked up by the burger truck because the guy thinks that Benny is a giant Birger and wants to put him on display. Benny's mother find him at the burger restaurant and takes him back home. She fed him vegetables and he did not eat another burger. She tells him that he will turn into a vegetable if that is all he eats and ends with him turning into a carrot.

This would be a fun way to talk about nutrition in the classroom in a light way. You could talk about different food groups and how they benefit people. Over the course of the story, Benny realizes that eating just burgers is no good for him which is why he says he is never eating one again. I lIked how the illustrations flowed throughout two pages and took up all of the space. The words went along perfectly with what the illustrations were showing. I liked how this book used sequencing and repeated the different things that were chasing him. I enjoyed this book and would read it again.

[Callie Ammons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burger boy is about a boy named Benny who loved to eat burgers, it’s all he would eat. His mom warned him that if he doesn’t watch out he’ll turn into one. And then one day, he did turn into a burger. Dogs, cows, and even kids started chasing after him trying to eat him. As he was running away he was blocked by a busy street. A van stopped, picked him up and saved him from being chased. But the driver was the owner of bigga burgers, a burger restaurant in town. They put him on display for all to see. His mom came to save the day and took him home. She fed him fruits and vegetables. Slowly he turned back into a boy again. He began to love vegetables, so much that it was the only thing he’d eat. His mom warned him to be careful or else he would turn into one, and he did.

I thought this book had an interesting storyline. It wasn’t my favorite but it was cute. It teaches you that you should have a healthy diet but in moderation. This book would be good in a classroom to teach that eating healthy is important but with a fun twist.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book about a boy who loves burgers. (Made me think of my Mom and Wimpy.) All he eats is burgers until, AHHH, he turns into a burger. I don't know about you, but I remember my mom saying "You'll turn into a ____." when I ate too much of something. So next thing you know he's running all around like the Gingerbread man with different things chasing him wanting to eat him. All the while he yells, "I'm not a burger, I'm a boy. Leave me alone!" He eventually lands in a buger joint on display where the owner charges $1 for all to see the large burger. Finally Mom rescues him. He goes home and eats vegetables until he turns into a boy again. Although....what might happen if you eat too many vegetables? Read this funny story and find out.

I think kids will like this silly story and enjoy making connections to it. Great read aloud book.

[Lauren Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young boy named Benny who is not a fan of any food except burgers. His mom ends up telling him that, "If all you eats is burgers, then one day he is going to turn into one" and Benny did! Then, he is chased around town my dogs, cows, kids, and more. Right before he is about to get eaten his mom comes to his rescue. After that day, Benny decided to never had a hamburger again and all he would eat was vegetables. Until one day his mom says, "If all you eat is vegetables, then one day you are going to turn into one"... I loved reading this book. It was funny and teaches a valuable life lesson about why eating healthy is important. I could implement this in my classroom when discussing healthy living or just for a fun story time.

[Kaylee Aulenbacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was about a little boy who loved to eat burgers and that all he ate. one day his mother took him to a burger store for lunch and after lunch he turned into a burger like his mom had warned him he would. he gets chased around town by dogs, cows, and other kids till his mother saves him and feeds him vegetables.

i liked this book because is shows kids that not only do they need to listen to their mothers but that eating fruits and vegetables are important.

I would use this book in my class if we were talking about different food groups and what you should eat to be healthy. have the kids tell me their favorite food and maybe ask if anyone's parents make them eat fruits and vegetables.

[Taylor Finnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows Benny, a boy who loves burgers. Even though he is warned by his mother to stop, he continues eating burgers until he turns into one! (view spoiler) I think this book would be great to encourage children to eat healthy and pay attention that they are not eating too much of one food. This was such a funny picture story book that I know kids would have a ball reading. The illustrations are so fun and done in a great way. I will definitely keep this book available as a fun book for kids to read in the classroom.

[Hanne Heimonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me smile with it's funny storyline and symphatic pictures and I bet children will love it as well. I think this a funny way to teach children how important diverse diet is. Children may think that adults deny the fast food for them just to be mean, but after reading the story they might understand that it’s for their own good. It also teaches lesson about consequences although in this case it's not about natural consequence.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy eats so many burgers, he becomes one. He's chased by dogs and other boys who want to eat him and cows who are offended by his presence. He gets conscripted into being the spokesperson for a burger restaurant. Eventually his mother convinces him to eat his vegetables.

I really didn't like the art in this one. And it's weird that we never actually see the mother.

[Sarah Cho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses many differnt font and sizes. It is almost like they go along with the images and story. The illustrator did a great job incoorporating the font with the images. The illustrations also remind me of "Oh, David!" books. The people and the images all resemble that style.

[Breanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a weird concept, if you eat too much you will turn into it. It was so silly but My daughter thought about it and brought it up multiple times while eating. "I better eat my veggies because I don't want to turn into [insert what we're having for dinner]."

[Emily Douce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an original story, has rhyming, has peril, humour, wider topics to talk about. Including healthy eating and eating meat. It also has a funny ending. Also which is amazing it has been taken out 60 times from the local library. I have never seen such a popular library book.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytime

humorous
healthy eating
discuss counting, animals, etc.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is read on an Amazon show called Bookaboo. I love the series. It's only 1 season. I wish there were more.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny

[Elona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[Brian Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book teaches a great lesson using a non-didactic shell that is easy and delicious for kids to enjoy (but only in moderation)!

[Ashley Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it because I love burgers. A good book to remind kids you are what you eat.

[Caitlin Leivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

super cute! fun story and adorable illustrations with a good message on aiming for healthy and well rounded eating habits

[Magila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 is about right (the overall aggregate score for this book on Goodreads).

I love the illustrator, Mei Matsuoka's style. I have been grabbing everything she has done since I read The Great Sheep Shenanigans.

The story of a child turning into their favorite food is as timeless as idle parental threats and older siblings. This book brings that to life to teach children it is important to eat a variety of foods. It was ok, just not great.

On the plus side, it's targeted at younger boys, and appropriate for children a bit older than some of the other (in my opinion) better examples of this subject matter - like Little Pea or I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato.

I'd grab this one from the library, but wouldn't rush out to buy it.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burger Boy is a story about a boy named Benny who loved to eat hamburgers. He ate so many hamburgers that he turned into one! Dogs, cows, and boys chased him trying to eat the burger. He was saved by the owner of his favorite restaurant Bigga Burgers. The owner put Benny out on display as a giant, talking burger. Benny's mom came to his rescue and after eating fruits and vegetables, Benny turned back into the boy he used to be.

I think this story is adorable, however I am a little hesitant to use it in the classroom. While this book does cover healthy eating habits and a balanced diet, it does portray a child turning into food. I'm not sure that the book is completely appropriate for every student. In all honesty, I would determine whether or not to include this book in my classroom year by year after getting to know my students.

If I chose to use this book, I would definitely use it to address the topic of healthy eating. Students could design their own meal or menu, and then would have the classroom set up for students to dramatic play a restaurant.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT:
-Kids will be giggling at the kid who accidentally turns himself into a hamburger, and spends the day running from an ever-increasing crowd.
-Even though it's a presented in a silly way, the book does mention the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.
-The story shows that a hamburger diet affects not just the burger eater when a herd of cows angrily stampede after the Burger Boy with the line, "Do you know where hamburgers come from?"
-At the end of the story, the kid gives up hamburgers for good after spending a day as a "Burger Boy."

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD:
-The book is so over-the-top silly that youngsters may miss the message about needing to eat fruits and veggies to be healthy.
-The author seems to be too desperate to not offend anyone, so at the end the reformed Burger Boy, who now eats only fruits and veggies, starts turning into a carrot.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burger Boy is about a young boy called Benny who loves to eat burgers. His parents warn him that if he eats too many that he’ll turn into one, then eventually he does! There are many comical episodes throughout the book that children will love; my personal favourite is when Benny is chased through the town!
This book is very relatable to both children and adults as it expresses views of both parents and child. This story encourages children to think about what is ‘too much’ of something and the benefits of having a healthy balanced diet. The book is fun and quirky and addresses food issues in a light heartedly manner. Children are able to make the link between eating too much of something and having the responsibility over their own body.

[Villa Park Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very silly story about a little boy who eats only one thing (burgers!) until he becomes that thing, just as his mother warned him he would. He then has to evade hungry animals, kids, shopkeepers and the like, all while insisting he's a real boy, not a burger. There is a silly surprise ending, which left my kids hoping there would be another book, however I felt the point was made. With lots of repetitive text, this would be great for a beginning reader to read along with.

Find this title in the SWAN catalog!

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dex (2 years old) absolutely loved this book - especially telling which of the dogs chasing the boy were good and bad.

The story is of a little boy who eats nothing but burgers, even though his mother warns him that he'll turn into one if he keeps it up. And surprise, he does! He is chased by a variety of animals and people all intent on eating him. In the end, he his rescued by his mother who feeds him fruits and veggies till he turns back into a little boy again. But then that's all he eats and he mother warns him again, if he doesn't watch out, he'll turn into what he eats!

Cute, cartoony illustrations.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shares a lesson about eating healthy foods and eating appropriate amounts of foods. The boy loves to eat hamburgers and that's all he eats for a period of time; however, he turns into a burger the more he eats them. He learns that this is not a healthy lifestyle, so he begins to eat vegetables until he eats too many of those too. This book can be tied with a lesson on eating a balanced diet (health lesson), but other than that, this would just be a fun story to read to young kids. They would probably find it humorous.

[Sarah George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy who eats nothing but burgers - I can relate - soon turns into one, and has the whole town chasing after him... Uh oh! After his terrifying day full of hungry dogs and children, angry cows, and a money-hungry restaurant owner, this boy vows to never eat another burger again! Alas, he turns into a carrot. Hilariously adorable book. The way the words incorporate with the pictures is an eye-catcher. And the slow transformations from boy to food and back again, is a wonderful example of a talented artist. I'd definitely recommend!