Please Feed the Monkeys

Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater

by Matthew Amster-Burton

I’m going to break the rules here to tell you about a book that isn’t for kids but is about them. More specifically, it’s about feeding them, and doing so without stocking your pantry with jarred baby foods or other scary processed items.

This is a nonfiction, memoir-ish book ... I think this is a first for Up Past Bedtime!

Summary

In the opening pages of Hungry Monkey, Seattle-based food writer Matthew Amster-Burton openly admits that one of his first thoughts when he learned of his wife’s pregnancy was concern about future years of bland/boring/repetitive foods that would invade his kitchen. But one day, after his daughter had been in the world for a few months, Amster-Burton was leaving a donut shop and a bit of his chocolate donut fell right onto baby Iris’ head - only to be quickly snatched into her open mouth. Nothing bad happened. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it. While he doesn’t begin feeding her everything he enjoys right at that moment, Amster-Burton began to wonder if maybe his fears were misplaced and that the many warnings about feeding solid foods to youngsters were a little over-the-top.

After this amusing introduction, Hungry Monkey dives into the first few years of baby Iris’ foray into food, beginning with milk and quickly expanding to things like Veggie Booty, sushi, and duck. Amster-Burton is eager and inventive in his quest to introduce his daughter to the foods he loves, and he finds great joy in sharing her first tastes with her.

While she is an adventurous eater, Iris also displays the typical qualities of a developing palate. She starts out trying everything and anything that hits her plate, but around age 2 she begins to reject foods she once loved, opting instead for an endless repetition of typical kid-friendly foods such as hot dogs, pizza, or rice. All the while, Amster-Burton gives her opportunities to try new things, and brings her into the kitchen to cook with him. He includes recipes that Iris herself ate and enjoyed, and even gives tips on what steps can be completed by “little fingers.”

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Whether you have a hungry monkey of your own or not, this book is definitely worth your time. Amster-Burton is hilarious, and his ideas and methods for introducing Iris to different foods are great. Where many books about how to feed young or picky eaters rely on sneaking healthy ingredients into loved dishes (beets in chocolate cake, anyone?), Amster-Burton recognizes the intelligence of discerning young palates and instead relies on patience, variety, participation and gentle encouragement.

Recommended for anyone with their own hungry monkey, or those with an interest in food and the feeding of kiddos.

To Put You in the Holiday Spirit ...

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Do you remember a few years ago when the movie Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist came out? Well, it was based on a book of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cohn and Levithan have now written three books together, and Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is the third story these clever authors have dreamed up for us.

Summary

Dash and Lily are New York City teens who have found themselves on their own for Christmas. Dash (a decidedly non-Christmasy type) is quite happy with his situation. He has told each parent he would be staying with the other for the holiday, thus ensuring each went out of town, leaving him free to do his own thing and avoid the various merriment of the season. Lily, however (who LOVES Christmas to the point of wearing reindeer-adorned skirts and forming neighborhood caroling groups), is feeling a bit abandoned. Her parents are taking a long-overdue honeymoon, leaving her at home with her brother, who is really too busy with his boyfriend to spend time with Lily during her favorite holiday. However, in an effort to spice up Lily's somewhat plain life, her brother and his boyfriend help her devise a little game that will (hopefully) help her meet a guy.

A red moleskine notebook is left on a shelf at the Strand, and inside it are clues for a dare. The instructions are clever, so not just any average book browser would be up for the challenge. When Dash finds the notebook, he is immediately intrigued. The notebook's owner is obviously on his level, and he can't help but begin following the clues, thus taking the bait and beginning what becomes a citywide game of adventures and encounters with various people in each teen’s life. Not only does the notebook continue to lead Dash and Lily to each new destination in the game, it becomes a place where they get to know each other. Questions, memories and observations allow the two to try to piece together what the other is like, and also help them realize some of their own dreams and limitations.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

YES. I absolutely loved this book. It was smart, snarky, fun, whimsical and completely enjoyable from start to finish. While the obvious question that hangs over the reader’s head is “when will they meet?” the time that Dash and Lily spend getting to know each other through the notebook is completely enjoyable. While there was a certain amount of happenstance involved, I appreciated that Cohn and Levithan gave their characters some control over their own destinies. All the New York moments were wonderful as well, and I found myself happily remembering my past trips to the Empire State while I read about Dash and Lily’s adventures. This book is a must anytime of year, but it is especially perfect with the Christmas season upon us.

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Love that Latke

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story

by Lemony Snicket

Many of you probably know Lemony Snicket from his Series of Unfortunate Events books. I happened upon this gem of his completely by accident over the summer, and I have read it several times since. I thought it would be the perfect way to begin Chanukah (it begins tonight!)!

Summary

In a small village on a cold night, a sound was heard.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

It was a latke. Also known as a potato pancake. The latke had been dropped into a frying pan of hot oil, and began to scream before jumping out of the pan and running out of the house and into the night. As he makes his way through the village, the latke finds himself in the presence of various symbols of Christmas: twinkly lights, a candy cane, a pine tree. Each of these items wants to know why the latke is screaming. When the latke tries to explain something about himself or about his relation to Chanukah, each Christmas item brings the story back around to itself, trying to show the similarities between them. The latke doesn't think anyone understands him. He eventually finds himself under a pine tree in the woods, and it is there that he finds people who understand him for what he is. A family comes walking along and notices the beautiful, brown latke, noting that it was just right for their Chanukah table. They scoop him up, take him home, and put him on the table for Chanukah dinner.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

You should stay up past bedtime to read this book for all eight nights of Chanukah! I loved it! The illustrations are hilarious and Lemony Snicket's characteristic writing style is perfect for this story. While it is silly through and through, the book teaches some good facts about Chanukah and the need for others to understand certain things about us.

Recommended for any age.