In this wry, self-deprecating memoir, Karen Le Billon shares her personal account of the (at first unwelcome) food education she receives after moving with her husband and two young daughters to a small village in northern France – her husband’s home town. The family’s eating habits – and her daughters’ picky tastes – soon come under scrutiny, as Karen is lectured for slipping her fussy toddler a snack – ‘a recipe for obesity!’ – and forbidden from packing her older daughter a lunch in lieu of the elaborate, four-course school meal on offer. However, she soon sees the wisdom in the French approach to food, and embarks on a personal ‘food revolution’ at home – with surprising but ultimately happy results.
As well as taking a humorous, provocative look at the way we feed our children, this book provides reassuring, practical guidance for all parents. Follow Karen as she discovers the ten ‘French Food Rules’ that help the French foster healthy eating habits, and try out the tips, tricks, routines and recipes that will help your children become healthy, happy eaters too.
More than one third of children in the UK are either obese or overweight (three times the French rate). According to the British Heart Foundation, our children eat (on average) less than 3 portions of the recommended 5-a-day fruit and veg. Most of us set out with good intentions, so where does it all go wrong? And how can we teach our children to eat well? French Kids Eat Everything answers these questions, and more.
‘Ask my children what their favourite foods are, and the answer might surprise you. Seven-year-old Sophie loves beetroot and broccoli, leeks and lettuce, mussels and mackerel. Claire (her three-year-old sister) loves olives, red peppers and creamed spinach. Before our family moved to France, fries were my daughter’s favourite ‘vegetable’ and anything green was met with clenched teeth.’ Karen Le Billon
About the author
Karen Le Billon is a professor at the University of British Columbia, and was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2011. A Rhodes Scholar with a DPhil from Oxford, she has published three scholarly books. She is also a Jamie Oliver Foundation Real Food Advocate. She and her family divide their time between Canada and France.
On 4th March 2012 Karen appeared on This Morning America
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/french-kids-eat-tips-children-eat-16061205
Published by Piatkus on 3rd May 2012 £12.99 Trade Paperback
For more information please visit: www.FrenchKidsEatEverything.com
and Twitter: @karenlebillon
The Prize
We have TEN copies of French Kids Eat Everything to give away
