Book study: The Seven Silly Eaters

A kooky tale of how a family solves its picky-eater problem.

Welcome to the next Petite Reads book study! (You can find the first three here: “Mice Skating,” “Adèle and Simon,” “Little Bear’s Trousers.”)

In these monthly book studies, we take a deep dive into a particular picture book and explore some ideas, activities and conversation starters to bring the book to life.

This month’s book is “The Seven Silly Eaters,” a funny rhyming story about a very patient, attentive mother of seven children with very persnickety opinions about food. As each new baby arrives in the Peters family, they bring a new demand for a special meal. Peter only drinks warm milk, Lucy prefers homemade pink lemonade, Jack won’t each anything except applesauce, and on it goes!

About the book:

Title: “The Seven Silly Eaters”

Author: Mary Ann Hoberman

Illustrator: Marla Frazee

Recommended age: 3-7

Review: There is a lot to like about this book! The rhyming text makes it fun to read, and the illustrations are fun to pore over. Mothers—especially those of picky eaters—will identify with Mrs. Peters, a weary mother striving to serve her children their favorite foods. And children will likely identify with the Peters children in their love of eating the same foods over and over (and over) again.

My children loved studying the pictures and talking about what the children were doing/playing in each scene. They also liked offering their opinions on the children’s favorite foods, and talking about how to cook/prepare each one.

I like the varied vocabulary in the text, the cooking conversations the book sparked and how, at the end, the children learn the importance of helping mom. :)

“The Seven Silly Eaters” ends with Mrs. Peters’ birthday celebration, so if you like to gift birthday-themed books on birthdays, this is a fun option!

Look a little closer:

The illustrations in “The Seven Silly Eaters” are packed full of fun! Each page finds the children up to silly shenanigans, and the scenes around the house are constantly changing.

Do your children notice that, as children join the Peters family, the amount of laundry and dishes increase? Can they find the ingredients for each meal scattered around the kitchen? Do your children enjoy any of the same activities as the Peters kids?

Learn new words:

Books are a wonderfully easy way to expand children’s vocabulary. Words in this book that were new to my children include:

• Homemade

• Appetite

• Cross (as in “angry”)

• Mishmash

• Weary

Have a conversation:

Ask your children:

• If you were one of the seven silly eaters, which would you be?

• What is your favorite food?

• Do you like any of the foods in the story?

• Are there any foods in the story that you haven’t tried yet?

• What are some foods that you can prepare/find in our pantry?

• What is your favorite kind of birthday cake?

• How do you help around the house? Are there chores you’d like to learn?

Make it an experience:

My children love when real-life experiences parallel their favorite stories. Here are a few ways we’ve brought this story to life:

• Make homemade bread (We have a gluten-free household, and this recipe is a winner! It’s super easy; you can’t mess it up).

• Find local farms and see how some of the foods mentioned in the book are grown/produced (apples, lemons, eggs, milk).

• Involve the whole family in preparing/cleaning up a meal (someone can set the table, assemble the ingredients, help cook, clear their plates, wash/dry dishes, etc.) Maybe these roles will stick! ;)

Thank you for reading this month’s book study! Let me know if your little ones like “The Seven Silly Eaters,” too. I’d love to hear what you think!

“She is always sitting with her little nose burrowing into books. She doesn’t read them … she gobbles them up.”

— Frances Hodgson Burnett, “A Little Princess”