Hi everyone!

This is my blog on exploring the ways food is presented in Children's literature starting from way back where they had to eat yucky foods such as gruel to present day where kids today can stuff their faces with all sorts of delights. I'm going to try and make it as interesting as possible, supplying you with film clips and videos/pictures of my terrible cooking! Hope you enjoy!

So I've decided to explore the ways in which food is described and what images these descriptions provoke in children’s books. From the crazy chocolate river and edible grass in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the stodgy, gruesome gruel in Oliver. Through my exploration I will be observing how food is described in children’s novels from the period 1800 to modern day, comparing the differences and similarities from book to book. AND just to make things more interesting I will also look at the film versions to see how the films compare to the books.

Children love food, especially chocolate, sweets and ice cream! Anything that looks good and is full of sugar will sure to be an instant hit with them. There is a constant battle between parents and children about what children want to eat and what their parents want them to eat. Appetizing adverts and specific sayings are ways of encouraging children to eat foods that may not particularly appeal to them.

A lot of children believe having to eat these things is a form of punishment and vegetables or anything green is despised. Don’t even mention brussel sprouts!

These are the research questions I aim to answer:

1.  What difference's/similarities  are there in the descriptions of food in children's novels from 1800 - present day?

2. What is the purpose of food in children’s literature?

3. What foods are considered treats and what ones are not?

4. What images can be created in the imagination through the descriptions of food in children's literature?

5. What is the relationship like between the child (character) and food in children's literature?

6. How well does the food in the film adaptation of the novel match up to the actual description in the novel?

Hope you enjoy reading my blog!