“The Prince’s Breakfast” Serves Up a Culinary Tour

Many families with children understand the struggles of raising a picky eater. Some younger kids may only be interested in one or two dishes, while others will only eat food of specific colors or shapes. In older children, pickiness tends to be more about resistance to change, leading to an unwillingness to try unfamiliar foods. Whether the pickiness is just a passing phase or if it goes on for years, it can lead to dinnertime tantrums at home, as well as inconvenience at restaurants and family events. In short, it can drive mom and dad crazy.

Parents of a picky eater generally want to fix the situation, but find that forcing the issue with threats and punishments is no use; they either have to wait it out or inspire the child to make a change using fun, interactive methods. The latter option is the premise of Joanne Oppenheim’s The Prince’s Breakfast.

In this adventurous tale, a young prince is experiencing a bout of picky eating. Nothing is quite right for this fussy young royal, and his eating habits are beginning to eat at the King and Queen. Their solution is to set out on a zany ‘round-the-world adventure, meeting interesting people and sampling various culture’s cuisines as they go. Despite the fascinating cooks and tantalizing culinary offerings the royal family encounter on their journey, the prince remains unmoved until he finds a wise man with a special ingredient that makes everything taste good. This magical ingredient turns out to be ketchup, a condiment that most kids know and like.

In addition to being humorous and informative, The Prince’s Breakfast gently nudges kids to open up their minds (and mouths) to new dining experiences. All in all, it’s a fun fantasy that kids will enjoy hearing and parents will enjoy reading.

Author Joanne Oppenheim is a respected New York-based author, child development expert and grandmother of seven. Her writing speaks to children in ways they can understand and connect with. The vocabulary is easy enough for new readers to follow along, although the names of some of the international dishes will likely be unfamiliar and hard to pronounce. Luckily, the hardcover version of this book is being offered with an accompanying read-along CD that can help clarify the pronunciations and enhance the reading experience. Actor Hugh Bonneville, whom many parents will know from the series “Downton Abby,” narrates the story with aplomb. The vibrant illustrations by Miriam Latimer do a nice job bringing the book to life.

The Prince’s Breakfast is just one of many educational, entertaining stories from Barefoot Books. Since 1992, this Massachusetts-based publishing company has been providing kids with high-quality books promoting love, learning and diversity. The company’s founders, Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, were both young mothers when they noticed a lack of the type of children’s’ books that they wanted for their kids, so they decided to join forces and create a company that filled that need. Armed with their talents in the visual arts, publishing and design, the pair set out to start a business of their own.

The early years of their business partnership brought some major bumps in the road, and demanded that Traversy and Strickland draw on all their creative energies to solve the problems that they faced. In the end, the solution was to back away from marketing through distributors and establish Barefoot Books as a direct selling company. Today, people can start their own home businesses by becoming ambassadors for Barefoot Books, bringing the joy of reading to families while earning extra income for their own households.

Find out more at www.barefootbooks.com