I am having SO MUCH fun shopping for all the girly things I can possibly find for Baby B! And recently I purchased her very first health book – seriously!
You are probably shaking your head right now thinking I am nuts, but really I picked up a super adorable book called, Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen. And what is even more exciting, I sat down with the nutritionist who wrote it and asked her a few questions about her motivation behind it. Grab a kombucha and check it out!
Tell us about yourself as an author!
Alexa: I am Alexa Palmer an early childhood educator, and the co-author is Catharine Kaufman, a nationally syndicated food columnist. We are both writers, healthy food advocates and practitioners and moms to multiple children, wrote Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen.
What was your inspiration for Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen?
Alexa: Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen is based on the experiences of its authors: I am a preschool teacher who noticed a need for a nutrition book tailored to the way I observed children absorb information, through fun and fantasy; and Catharine Kaufman, a nationally syndicated food columnist who writes under the moniker of “The Kitchen Shrink”.
Catharine and I are both mothers to three and two daughters, respectively, and wholesome, nutritious food advocates for children. Kids can relate to Jolene- she is a junk food junkie just like they might be. AND she is transformational in her eating habits. This similarity between the behaviors of the characters and the real-life tendencies of children is what attracts kids to the story. At the back of the book are healthy smoothie recipes for the kids to make at home and with their friends, just like the main character Jolene does in the book.
What is a short summary of Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen?
Alexa: Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen is a children’s book that encourages children to make healthy food choices via a plot line reminiscent of Alice’s journey through Wonderland, Jolene tells the story of a young girl who loves junk food. She loves it so much she wears red licorice in her hair–and pink taffy underwear! The Munch Bunch calls her “The Junk Food Queen.” Then, one night in her dreams, she meets a bunch of cool characters who take her on an incredible, edible journey into a world of juicy fruits, super salads and yummy smoothies.
Why do you find it important to choose organic, healthy food?
Alexa: Simply put, organic, healthy food is pure, free from additives, artificial colorings and flavors, unnecessary pesticides and processing that has shown over time to be unhealthy to our bodies. If you eat clean and pure and treat yourself to a healthy eating lifestyle, you will feel better and be healthy!
Why is it important to teach kids who don’t even know how to read?
Alexa: Children need to hear words read from a very young age in order to learn focus, sensory imagination, and to see how words are strung together to form thoughts. When a parent reads a book to a very young child, the child is absorbing these skills. A trick is to read a little and then talk about the story or relate the content to something the child can do or experience. For example, if you are reading about healthy foods, offer the child something healthy to eat in a creative way such as having a tea party with healthy foods served. For longer books, read a couple of pages at a time – then discuss!
What was the feedback you got from parents who read the book?
Alexa: The feedback has been extremely positive. Parents have said the book created conversation about healthy eating that their children were receptive to because the story is a fun read. They said how nice it is to start an engaging discussion with their kids about better food habits using a children’s book. The Jolene book, they say, teaches their kids about the dangers of junk food and the importance of eating fruits and vegetables through characters to which they can relate.
The book brings the whole family together and is attractive not just to the kids, but to parents as well, who may read the book aloud to their kids and then join their kids in the kitchen to make one of the smoothie recipes. They love how they can even modify the smoothies, using ingredients they already have at home! The smoothies, they say, are a fantastic way to introduce new healthy foods to their children. One mom shared that her kids who previously refused to try mango slurped down the mango smoothies they made after reading the book. Another mom mentioned appreciating that the book mentions that some sugar is okay in moderation and shared that her family has movie night once a month where her kids may choose a sweet treat to enjoy. Parents talk about how kids request to read the book over and over again. Kids who know how to read enjoy reading the book on their own.
The book is over 50 pages long, so some kids want to finish the whole thing in one sitting and others treat it as a chapter book, reading the story over the course of a few nights.
What are some key takeaways from the book?
- Healthy eating is fun and makes you feel good.
- When given the option, choose the healthy foods first.
- Sweets are ok in moderation only – and never on a regular basis!
Do you plan on writing a sequel or another book?
Alexa: I have written a new book that will be going into illustration shortly. It is a similar subject matter, but much shorter with power-packed characters!
Hope y’all enjoyed this interview with Alexa Palmer, co-author of Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen. You can find the book on amazon and find the authors on instagram!
Want to win your own? Tell me how you plan to/keep your kiddos healthy below and I’ll send one lucky winner this book!
xx
Erica
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I Think heal eati is all about education and this book is the perfect start!