Description: A story about a child who doesn't want to eat, and the caregiver trying to feed them! If your child doesn't eat well, mealtime may have become a somewhat difficult time, filled with a tug-of-war between the caregiver trying to feed the child and the child refusing to eat. In this situation, "I Don't Want to Eat" offers comfort to both children and caregivers alike. Children who don't want to eat will find themselves relating to Roux, the baby rabbit who doesn't want to eat the salad soup in front of him. Meanwhile, caregivers who have to feed their children can easily understand how Roux's dad feels. This book begins by comforting the hearts of both children and caregivers. "I Don't Want to Eat" is set against the backdrop of a situation that children may experience after turning 24 months old—namely, not wanting to eat. As children grow, they may refuse or spit out foods whose taste they dislike. Roux, the main character of this book, immediately says "Ugh, I don't want to eat that!" as soon as he hears that dinner is salad soup. To Roux, salad soup is an extremely unappetizing dish that's the same color as "goose droppings." Dad explains that the salad soup will make Roux healthy and help him grow tall, but Roux still says he doesn't want to eat it. Prodded by his dad, Roux starts eating the soup and soon asks, "But where's Mom's?" Unfortunately, Mom and Dad won't be joining Roux for dinner tonight. Though he might be disappointed, Roux instead tells his dad about why the salad soup is yellow-green in color, and how it would taste better if it were pink. He also asks why yogurt is as white as snow, and suggests that yogurt made from the milk of cows that eat green grass and blue flowers would taste better if it were blue. As they share these imaginative thoughts about soup and yogurt that could never exist in reality, dinnertime quickly passes by. Having "shared" all the food he was supposed to eat with the sprouts in the kitchen and the small rose bush in his room, Roux ends up feeling hungry before bedtime. What story does Roux tell his dad, who doesn't understand why Roux is hungry after having "eaten" so many foods? The author calmly portrays this story about a father and child navigating mealtime. Magical Illustrations Paired with 'Calm' Text: The story about eating told by writer Christine Schneider isn't entirely calm. In her story, Roux's imagination bounces and leaps about. Illustrator Hervé Pinel helps Roux's sparkling imagination shine even brighter. His illustrations begin by showing each scene of the story one by one: the empty plate and utensils set on the table, Roux watching television in the living room, and Dad pouring soup into the plate. Then, the scene shows Roux reluctantly walking to the table with his hands behind his back, spread across two pages. This long scene, in contrast to the short scenes used earlier, visually captures Roux's reluctance to go to the table. This visually extended scene not only shows the emotional distance between Roux and the table—or the salad soup—but also depicts, in Roux's imagination, how he might grow taller, just as his dad said. Roux's imagined long arms and legs make readers nod along unconsciously at Dad's words: "(Salad soup) will make you healthy and help you grow nice and tall." But Roux doesn't accept this, shouting "Liar, liar!" once again. The story then returns to short scenes depicting the conversation between Dad and Roux. These short scenes, each taking up one page, show the story unfolding quickly. Throughout the rest of the book, the author skillfully alternates between short and long scenes to make the story even more engaging. Through the illustrations, we can see that both Dad's and Roux's words are portrayed as if they were true. Being able to actually see the story between Dad and Roux through the illustrations helps readers better understand the content of the story. Interestingly, the illustrations also show that Roux...