FUSSY FREYA by Katharine Quarmby and Piet Grober (illustrator)
(Human & Rousseau ) R79,95
“If you don’t eat your food you’ll end up like Fussy Freya, all skin and bone,” warned my daughter Justine of her twin sister, Sherona, who looked flustered and suddenly started eating.
They were referring to the character, Freya, in the book, Fussy Freya, which they love and insist it be read to them every day. Freya comes from a multicultural background -her dad is Indian and her mum is white – and the illustrations clearly depict Freya and her brother, Baby Ravi, as being of a mixed race, which my children picked out as it is applicable to their situation.
Freya had a large appetite – she loved her meat and vegetables and her parents were delighted that she did not need to be forced into eating. However, her mum cooked a dish of jasmine rice and dhal that’s when the trouble set in.
While Baby Ravi loved it as he could handle spice, Freya found it unappealing and refused to eat it. She then rejected bacon and sausages; then a fish dish and was rude about it. She ended up turning down all her favourite food until her mother was concerned that she was going to be “nothing more than bones and skin”.
She packs Freya off to her grandparents who teach her a lesson by serving her the most bizarre meals – elephant with egg upon its head; warthog and cheese and mashed monkey with fried rice. The grandparents have fun as they teach Freya a lesson. Freya is horrified and cries, requesting butter on brown bread. She flees back home the next day and drinks up all her tea, declaring she is no longer a fussy eater.
The story is written in a poetic way and is humorous and beautifully illustrated. The meals are carefully depicted, showing the importance of having vegetables and what could happen if children do not eat properly.
And now when I use the threat of serving my children mashed monkey and rice when they become difficult at meal times, it yields wonderful results.
This book is also available in Afrikaans