I Eat When I'm Sad: Food and Feelings (Kids & Obesity)

It might be hard to reconcile a “love-your-body-as-it-is” message with escalating childhood obesity rates, but Simons does a fine job with her entry in the Kids and Obesity series, making a compelling case by plainly stating the consequences of carrying around “a little extra.” However, this is no episode of Scared Straight; the tone is highly sympathetic, capturing the vicious cycle of emotional eating and giving kids tools to combat weight gain. We open with 10-year-old Amy, a heavy girl getting grief from her classmates, whose sadness finds new depths when her mom suggests that she lose some weight. Resources here include the Body Mass Index calculator, the recently revised food pyramid, and an overview of basic weight-loss principles. Some illustrations border on counterproductive, showcasing gooey brownies with food-porn-quality close-ups, for instance, but others feature kids of all sizes demonstrating helpful tips, such as using music as a mood elevator instead of food. Pair with My Big Fat Secret: How Jenna Takes Control of Her Emotions and Eating (2009), another character-driven study in emotional eating. Grades 3-5. --Courtney Jones