Review of:
Janey Junkfood's Fresh Adventure! Children's book |
Image courtesy of:
FoodPlay Productions |
| Producer: | FoodPlay Productions |
| Date Produced: | March 2008 |
| Format(s): | |
| Audience(s): | - Elementary School (6-8 yrs)
- Middle School (9-12 yrs)
- General Consumer
- Paraprofessionals
- Professionals
- Child Care Providers
- Low-Literacy
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| Topic(s): | - General Nutrition
- Weight Management
- Health at Every Size
- Physical Activity
- Meal Planning
- Eating Patterns
- Healthy Eating Tips
- Grains/Whole Grains
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Dairy
- Meat and Beans
- Fats and Oils
- Importance of breakfast, reading ingredient labels, recognizing sugar on ingredient labels
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| Description: | Enchanting new children’s book with everything kids need to get off the junk food track! Follow Ace Food Detective, Tobe Fit, as she discovers the missing ingredient to Janey’s juggling success—healthy eating habits. Features 14 fruit & veggie snack recipe cards for nutritious and delicious snacks kids love to make and eat. Written by Barbara Storper, MS, RD, a national leader in children’s nutrition, Janey Junkfood’s Fresh Adventure! is based on Storper’s Emmy Award-winning TV special. Ideal for ages 8–12 and younger kids too! Hardcover. 40 full-color pages. |
| Cost: | $15.95 |
| Free? | No |
| Ordering Info: | Please visit www.foodplay.com to order |
| Web Site: | www.foodplay.com |
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Content |
- A. Use of MyPlate/MyPlate or the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Material incorporates and uses some of concepts in MyPlate or the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Comments:
- MyPyramid is never mentioned or shown, but the importance of healthy eating, especially fruits and vegetables, is the key to the story.
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- B. Scope
- Scope of information appropriate for target audience and essential topics discussed in appropriate detail.
- Comments:
- Focus is on the problems and pitfalls of a diet high in junk foods.
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- C. Purpose
- Purpose of material clearly stated in title or introduction.
- Comments:
- "...offers children a fun way to get off the junk food track..."
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- D. Organization
- Material well-organized and major points presented clearly.
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- E. Accuracy
- Information is accurate and recommendations current with content of MyPlate and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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- F. Learner Background
- Material does not assume that reader has background information.
- Comments:
- It is for children and pre-teens. No background information is assumed.
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- G. Learning Objectives
- Not applicable.
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- H. Learning Activities, Projects, or Interactive Learning Tools
- Material includes a variety of stimulating and interesting learning experiences, questions, projects, or suggestions for further action that will involve the reader.
- Comments:
- Child-appropriate recipes are included at the end, as well as 'tickets' to the juggling meet/fresh adventure, and a pocket to store the tickets in. Children earn tickets by making the recipes.
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- I. Objectivity/Sponsor Bias
- Subject matter presented objectively and fairly. Company name may be mentioned but product name is not contained in text or illustrations.
- Comments:
- The author has a touring/production company that presents a show for teens based on a very similar story line, as well as video. But there's no mention of the company or sales in the story itself.
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- J. Inclusion of learning objectives, learner activities, instructional
aids, lesson plans, evaluation component, identification of required
instructional materials, web site with additional materials.
- Material includes three or four of the above.
- Comments:
- It has activities, instructional aids, recipes, and refers kids to the author's website for additional food activities.
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- K. Recipes (if included)
- Overall, recipes are compatible with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Comments:
- Definitely very healthy recipes, easy for kids to prepare.
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- L. Recipes (if included)
- Recipes do not include any nutrient analysis.
- Comments:
- They are mostly healthy snack ideas, fruit and vegetable based, but no nutrient analysis is included in the book.
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- M. Instructional Resources
- Instructor resources not needed for this material.
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- N. Credits, References and Resources (Including dates, publisher,
etc.)
- Current and complete credits, references, and resources listed.
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- O. Summary
- All major ideas summarized or reviewed to reinforce key concepts; summaries easily identified.
- Comments:
- The story ends with success and a summary, as well as encouragement to continue and expand the efforts.
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Diversity |
- A. Role Models
- Positive role models are provided in text and illustrations. Role models presented as having many roles, traits, and emotions.
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- B. Multi-cultural Representation
- Racial, ethnic, and religious groups are represented in a factual manner showing a variety of roles, occupations, and values.
- Comments:
- Both main character children are white, but other races are shown, including the judges. The drawings in the book show various races, the characters have different things to say about food and what they're eating. But when I showed it to some teens from one local (lower-middle SEC) high school they were not impressed. It was too 'upper class', maybe okay for the rich kids, but not for them.
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- C. Different lifestyles and food patterns
- Not applicable.
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Print Materials |
- A. Writing Style
- Main ideas are clear, but sequence of information may not flow smoothly in all sections.
- Comments:
- It's written and illustrated as a girl's notebook or scrapbook, with drawings, arrows, decorations. It's cute, and kids would find it much easier to follow and read.
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- B. Writing Approach
- Writing approach is positive and personal. Active voice is used most of the time.
- Comments:
- Written as a first person notebook.
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- C. Vocabulary
- Vocabulary used is appropriate for intended audience. Minimizes use of technical terms and if used, are defined.
- Comments:
- Definitely. Good for kids.
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- D. Supportive Illustrations
- All of the illustrations contribute to the material and are on the same page as their textual references. Tables and graphs are as simple and easy to read as possible. All information needed in graphs and tables is provided in a form requiring no further explanation.
- Comments:
- Lots of drawings, hand printing, very appropriate for the story line.
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- E. Layout and Design
- Color, design, and layout of material are attractive, and stimulate interest, without being too busy. There is good balance between print and blank space.
- Comments:
- Very colorful, active, would be easy for a reading parent to point to different pictures as they read it to a small child, or for children to see as they read.
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- F. Visual Quality
- Paper weight used is heavy enough so that print from one side cannot be seen on the other side. Text is written in a font size that is easy to read, and the main body is not written in capital letters.
- Comments:
- Heavy weight paper, good to last through many readings with children.
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- G. Headings/Cueing Devices
- Clear headings are provided for each topic area. Cueing devices (shading, boxes, arrows, etc.) are used to direct attention to key points.
- Comments:
- Lots of arrows, 'stickers', color, circles, etc. to call attention.
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- H. Approximate Reading Level
- Reading level is at or below 5th grade level for low-literacy materials. Assessment method provided.
- Comments:
- Meant for children to read, not low literacy. An ESL reader might be confused by all the different texts, lines, arrows etc.
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Overall Comments on Resource Reviewed |
- A. Positive Points of the Reviewed Resource:
- Very direct story line, very colorful, interesting for children. Good idea to put the recipes on 'tickets', along with a 'club membership' card, etc. to encourage the children to try them out. And the point of the story, that junk food prevents good performance while healthy food helps it, is very direct.
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- B. Points that Could Be Improved:
- I don't know what could be done to address the high school students', seeing it as not their 'class'. They were a mixed group, racially, gender and grades.
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- C. General Comments
- Direct, simple message to avoid junk food and eat healthy for best performance. But the teens' reactions, that it was too 'high class' bears considering. I don't know how it would go over with some groups.
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- D. Overall Summary
- Good for reading to small children and for older kids to read themselves. And the message is excellent, direct and to the point. But there might be some class issues.
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Reviewer Rating |
| Any opinions expressed about any resource in this web site (either expressly or implied) are solely and completely the responsibility of the reviewer and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. |
| Highly Recommended |
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| Read other Review for this resource. |
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