“Humorous as well as instructive, this culinary adventure will change the lives of parents and children alike. . . . Karen Le Billon and her children learn that it’s okay to feel hungry between meals, turn to mindful eating, and learn the importance of enjoying one’s food.” - Patricia Wells, author of The Provence Cookbook
“This book is not only about how to teach children (and yourself) to eat well and happily for life, it’s a book 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
“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
“A breezy but practical volume for hurried parents looking to keep their kids well-fed. . . . [The] tone is straightforward, generous, and gentle. That Le Billon concludes with a small collection of kid-friendly recipes makes this foodie manifesto all the more accessible.” - Publishers Weekly
“[Read] with a pencil or highlighter in hand…. The 10 “rules” she comes up with are really common sense ideas you probably, however vaguely, already know. But if you’re like me, you may find them excellent, if not also habit-changing, reminders of how things should be. Or can be.” - Forbes.com
“Le Billon . . . strategically identified questions she faced while living abroad: Why were French kids tidier eaters? Why did they sit quietly at restaurants? Why did her daughter’s teacher suggest she see a therapist when she wanted to pack her school lunch?” - BonAppetit.com
“It takes a brave couple to move two picky–eater kids into a French small town and convert them to foodie omnivores. We have much to learn from European food traditions, and the contrast between French and North American school lunches is a striking example. A must–read for teachers and parents.” - Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of What to Eat
“A fascinating and valuable read.” - Lynne Rossetto Kasper
“Portrays the stark contrast between French foodways— valuing communal meals, diverse foods and good taste— and Americans’ round-the-clock snacking and narrow, market-driven tastes…We now have the occasional course that lets us glimpse the soul nourishment that marks the French approach to food.” - Portland Press Herald