Picky eaters. There’s one in every family, and they are usually a stubborn kid on top of a picky one. I personally never understood the idea of forcing a kid to eat something they don’t like. After all, nobody forces adults to eat what they don’t like.
But I do understand adults not wanting to run a restaurant or being concerned about their kids’ health. However, the daily battles to get kids to eat aren’t fun for anyone.
Author R.K. Vetter offers a different approach for dealing with picky eaters in her picture book, I Don’t Want to Eat That Thing! The story takes a more understanding stance on a kid’s refusal to eat and makes the meal more enticing without substituting one food for another. Below is my review of I Don’t Want to Eat That Thing! Followed by an interview with Vetter about her book.
The story
I Don’t Want to Eat That Thing! Follows an unnamed little boy who spends five days at his grandma’s house. When he arrives, Grandma is handed a list of foods that the little boy refuses to eat. However, the little boy is horrified to find a different food from his list on his dinner plate each night.
Grandma softens the blow by adding special ingredients to the table for the little boy to add to his meal. This encourages him to give each food a chance, and the results are a win-win for both grandmother and grandson. His change of heart isn’t as enthusiastic as his initial protests, but it is apparent by his reactions after he takes those hesitant first bites that he has changed his mind about what he doesn’t want to eat.
The illustrations
The book is illustrated by 1000Storybooks, a company that creates expressive and simple depictions of the little boy and his grandma, the only two characters in the book. The two have very traditional looks about them. Grandma has her short gray hair, wears tiny glasses, and is clad in long, colorful dresses. The little boy wears basic shirts and shorts of differing colors and tiny design changes to differentiate him from one day to the next.
The illustrator was also smart to keep a calendar behind the little boy’s chair at his grandmother’s table in order to show the progression of the days. Even if a kid can’t read a calendar, they can see the numbers change on each page as the boy’s stay goes on.
The food on the boy’s plate is a very prominent feature of the illustrations. It really doesn’t look appetizing, and you can sympathize with the little boy for not wanting to dig in. He often refers to the food by what it looks like, such as “slime,” “moosh,” and “squish.” Luckily, Grandma helps to clarify what each food really is, and the added ingredients on the table make the dishes look a lot more appetizing.
The format
The story is told in first-person from the little boy’s point of view. The words on each page range from two to four lines, and each pair of lines rhyme. Some of the rhymes are a little clunky, and might be a mouthful for whoever is reading the story aloud. But the vocabulary is pretty simple for a new reader, and the rhymes will help them with any unfamiliar words.
I like the hostile transition between the little boy’s lines and the gentle, explanatory lines spoken by his grandmother. It’s a fun shift in tone from one page to the next which brings a lot of energy and relatability to an ordinary situation.
My recommendation
I recommend I Don’t Want to Eat That Thing! to preschool-age readers and up who can relate to the struggles of dinnertime, dining outside the comfort of your own home with an unfamiliar cook, and how to humble yourself after you give new things a chance. The playful tone and clever concept make it a fun read, and parents will find some comfort in knowing that they are not alone in their dinnertime struggles.
My rating
An interview with R.K. Vetter
Were you a picky eater growing up? How have your eating habits changed over the years?
I was never a picky eater. There were two foods in particular that I would eat very sparingly until I was older. Green peppers and a certain relative’s pumpkin pie recipe were just not that appealing until my taste buds “grew” into liking those foods.
How did you choose which foods to put on the list of foods that the little boy does not like?
Having been an elementary teacher for 21 years, I spent time in the lunchroom with children who were not shy about their food dislikes. I combined that experience with the main food senses of sight, smell, taste, texture, and many descriptive rhyming possibilities to make the list.
How early into the writing process did you decide to make the lines rhyme?
My mother loved to write in rhyme, so I grew up around that process. I began to think in rhyme as soon as I established the premise for this first book in the Don’t Want To series.
Having been a story time lady, I know how much children like to supply what they think the rhyming word will be. I also wanted to introduce words that rhyme but are spelled differently, and those collections are on the back of each book in a “Preview of Words to Enjoy Reading” to encourage independent reading.
In your bio, you wrote that you grew up on a farm and still grow your own food. Do you have any tips for kids who want to get into gardening?
- Keep it simple. No truck gardens!
- Have children plant something they will look forward to eating.
- Plant in terms of timeline. Plant a fast producer such as green beans, a medium-term producer, such as a tomato, and a longer-term producer, such as spuds in a bucket.
- Gardening is a great intergenerational activity. Involve grandparents or elderly friends if possible. They can help with tips and tools.
- Check out children’s library books about gardening. While you are at the library, see if they are a seed-lending library.
- Try out some herbs or flowers that will attract and feed our friends, the pollinators.
You also wrote in your bio that you have a background in teaching. How long have you been writing? What kind of writing training do you have?
I have been writing since my Iowa country school days because I had both modeling and encouragement from my mother and teachers, two of whom were aunts. In addition to various writing conferences and workshops, I have trained with formal lessons from the Institute of Children’s Literature, Storyteller Academy, and as a teacher, with the Nebraska Writing Project (NeWP).
How much input did you have in forming the illustrations that go along with your text?
I had 100% input in forming the illustrations, and that is why I love working with 1000 Storybooks. For example, the description I wrote for the last illustration in this book was as follows:
Beaming child is speaking to reader, standing at door with backpack/rollaround. Child is hugging a still full treat bag with a container labeled “My Secret Mix” and a honey bear container sticking out the top. Grandma is beside the child with one arm around the child. Grandma is tossing the wadded list back over her shoulder with her other hand and winking at the reader.
If you examine that page, which is my favorite page, you will see that the illustration closely matches my original description! Please see the coloring page version below!
In your dedication, you write that the book is dedicated to kids who aren’t afraid to say “I don’t want to” but are willing to grow. What advice do you have for determining when to push for kids to change and when to accept them for who they are?
I guess I prefer the term “noodge” over push or its cousin, prod. Accepting children for who they are doesn’t mean choices/alternative pathways can’t be offered to broaden their experience. Excluding situations that involve immediate danger or otherwise affect a child’s basic welfare, making choices gives children practice at problem solving skills, allowing them to develop a vital skill set needed to live life.
Do you have a favorite page?
My favorite page is the last illustration, in which a winking Grandma Brown is tossing the wadded list of hated foods over her shoulder as she accompanies her grandson to the door at the end of his stay. Readers can find a coloring sheet of this page, as well as other pages from the Don’t Want To series books here!
Author links
Links will open in a new tab.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of I Don’t Want to Eat That Thing! here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
Pin it!
My mom knew I loved mashed potatoes. Sometimes she would mash carrots in with them & then tried to act like that didn’t completely change the flavor or that I wouldn’t notice they were now orange. It’s actually quite good but not my favorite.
That’s so funny. Sometimes you’ll try anything to get kids to eat right, but it’s not always effective. Thanks for reading and commenting!