French Kids Eat Everything (And Yours Can, Too) [Paperback]

"This book is not only about how to teach children (and yourself) to eat well and happily for life, it’s about how to help build and maintain the foundations of any civilized society. I loved it. Essential reading, whether you have children or not." --Laura Calder, author of Dinner Chez Moi and host of French Food at Home

"Humorous as well as instructive, this culinary adventure will change the lives of parents and children alike." --Patricia Wells, author of The Provence Cookbook

"It takes a brave couple to move two picky-eater kids into a French small town and convert them to foodie omnivores, but French Kids Eat Everything proves that it can be done. This book tells the story of one family’s not-always-easy cultural transition, making it clear that North Americans have much to learn from European food traditions. The contrast between French and North American school lunches is a striking example but the book demonstrates that our kids would eat a lot better if we adopted some of their practices. This book is a must-read for teachers as well as parents." --Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of What to Eat

"A wonderful--and important--book. One family’s topsy-turvy culinary transformation becomes an in-depth exploration of the habits that have kept French kids loving food (and eating spinach) for centuries." --Elizabeth Bard, author of Lunch in Paris

Moving her young family to her husband's hometown in northern France, Karen Le Billon is prepared for some cultural adjustment but is surprised by the food education she and her family (at first unwillingly) receive. In contrast to her daughters, French children feed themselves neatly and happily—eating everything from beets to broccoli, salad to spinach, mussels to muesli. The family's food habits soon come under scrutiny, as Karen is lectured for slipping her fussing toddler a snack—"a recipe for obesity!"—and forbidden from packing her older daughter a lunch in lieu of the elaborate school meal.

The family soon begins to see the wisdom in the "food rules" that help the French foster healthy eating habits and good manners—from the rigid "no snacking" rule to commonsense food routines that we used to share but have somehow forgotten. Soon, the family cures picky eating and learns to love trying new foods. But the real challenge comes when they move back to North America—where their commitment to "eating French" is put to the test. The result is a family food revolution with surprising but happy results—which suggest we need to dramatically rethink the way we feed children, at home and at school.