This is an usual illustrated non-fiction book all about food and eating around the world. This book goes beyond the usual sections one might expect to find in a non-fiction book about food. There are pages about eating utensils, smelly food, specific foods such as bananas and noodles and spices. Each page uses rich descriptive language and manages to conjure up the smells, tastes and sights of unusual food from around the world.

What is particularly useful are the handy phonetic pronunciation guides for each food. The list of different countries covered is diverse and includes countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Peru and Albania. Helpfully at the end of the book, there is a world map with all of the 69 countries mentioned highlighted. The language will appeal to children in KS1 being both engaging but also clear and informative. The book provides interesting general facts, such as how many varieties of rice there are, but also unusual and specific examples that illustrate the general facts, so a variety of rice dishes from around the world. This level of detail would also support any child in Key Stage 2 to explore the book’s fascinating facts.

The book is simply illustrated with bold and clear pictures of the food and of children eating and enjoying food. On the final pages, there is mention of climate change and how food will change in the future – with some interesting insect-eating illustrations here! What is not mentioned is the unequal distribution of food across the world and you could be forgiven for thinking when you read this book, that food is as plentiful as it is diverse across the world. This would also be a useful area for discussion with children.