The World in Your Lunch Box: The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods

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Description

A ham sandwich on white bread. Macaroni and cheese. Peanut-butter-and-banana roll-ups. They may sound like ordinary items, but they take us on an amazing journey through the rich history and astonishing science of food. Explore a week of lunchesfrom apples to pizzaby taking a romp through thousands of years of extraordinary events. Some are amusing, like the accidental invention of potato chips. Others are tragic, such as the Spice Wars, which killed thousands of people. Consider that ham sandwich: Ancient Romans first made ham by curing meat with salt and smoke to kill microbes, while yeast (which burps gas) produces the fluffy texture of bread. Aztec farmers bred tomatoes from small, bitter berries into plump, sweet fruit, and watermelons sustained travelers 10,000 years ago in the Kalahari Desert. With a vibrant design and quirky illustrations, The World in Your Lunch Box is like the perfect lunch: satisfying, well-balanced, and totally delicious.

Reviews

This is a delightful, fun, colorful, cleverly illustrated, and informative book about common foods and their global origins... The author covers the many variations and uses of ordinary foods, spices and herbs... She very effectively adds Q-and-A riddles, jokes, comical drawings, top ten favorite and unique facts... to enhance the enjoyment of the topic and text. Organized in the form of a daily Monday through Sunday lunch diary, the author provides extensive historical background along with stories... Very highly recommended for upper elementary through junior high; appropriate for multicultural curriculum and a wide range of classroom settings.--Ellen R. Paterson, State University of New York, C"Science Books and Film" (01/01/2013)
As the introduction promises, this title includes a lot of exciting history, amazing science, and some very strange stories.--Heather Accero"School Library Journal" (07/01/2012)
Author Claire Eamer's delivery is friendly and witty, and Sa Boothroyd's spot-on, comical illustrations help make the text even more accessible.--Cynthia O'Brien"Quill and Quire" (03/01/2012)
Everyday foods become interesting subject matter, which should promote lively classroom discussions.--Carolyn Cutt"Resource Links" (04/01/2012)
School kids may never look at their lunches the same again.--Pamela J. Hines"Science Magazine" (12/07/2012)
So you've got a growing gourmand in the house Think you're raising the next Food Network superstar Then make mealtime even better with The World in Your Lunch Box.--Terri Schlichenmeyer"Tri-State Defender (Memphis)" (06/14/2012)
This book would make an excellent resource for anyone studying food and nutrition from the primary grades right up to high school.--Sandra O'Brien"Canadian Children's Book News" (07/01/2012)
This quirky offering reads like a diary of school lunches. Punctuated by silly jokes and colorful artwork, the book presents information on the historical implications of certain foods and the science behind what we eat.... Elevating the mundane into the realm of fascinating science and pop history, this book also offers a successful formula for encouraging students to enjoy nonfiction texts and to think a bit every time they open their lunch boxes.--Erin Anderson"Booklist" (07/01/2012)
It's . . . interesting just how many foods are found in a week's worth of food, and how much history can be learned, and how many cultures are represented. The book provides a veritable fridge-load of trivia that so delights young readers.

Author Bio

Claire Eamer lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, and has written several books on science and history for kids.

Sa Boothroyd is an illustrator who lives in Gibsons, British Columbia.