"In 1900 all the mayors of France gathered for a
feast - 22,695 people attended! They were seated
at long tables that stretched more than four miles
(seven kilometers). Researchers believe that
sharing meals as a group has helped people bond
with people throughout history, and that communal
meals act as "social glue." Research from the
University of Oxford found that the more often
people eat with others, the more likely they are to
feel happy and included within their family networks."
This newest book in the Orca Timeline series offers a continuing style for the book's design. It begins with an introduction that explains our daily need for food. Where we have it will be varied, as will what we eat. What happened in the past, or is happening in war zones today, or on a spaceship? Although it may be very difficult at times, there are ways to work together to put food in many hands. Scientists and others are working tirelessly to try to help find innovative solutions and create new resources for the future.
The table of contents shows five chapters: Food on the Go, Under Attack, Grow It, Raise It, Find It, Catch It, Let's Eat Together, and Enough for Everyone. A glossary, list of resources, acknowledgments, and an index are provided in back matter.
The opening illustration for Food on the Go has a timeline that begins with Polynesian explorers (1477-977 BCE), and moves on to Chinese sailing ships in the 14002, Amelia Earhart in 1932, early astronauts eating in space in the 1960s, food deliveries to the International Space Station in 2023 and a wonder about a future Journey to Mars. The chapter is filled with information concerning each of the different scenarios presented in that timeline. Questions are asked and answered, text boxes offer specific facts concerning foods eaten, challenges, menus, and captioned illustrations, photographs (present day and archival) provide answers to questions that might arise.
Each succeeding chapter offers a similar style and content. The questions asked provide 'food for thought' for middle grade readers and offer some of the solutions that have been developed. A Cautionary Tale is presented in each chapter and range from skiing hungry to the South Pole, a lack of needed nutrition during the Crimean War, the problems created when only one variety of banana is grown, sharing food after a disaster, and finally, dumping food when so many are hungry.
The author leaves her readers to consider wasting less, being more efficient with what we already have and seriously seeking different food sources that have been little explored. Food inequity is being felt worldwide, and the effects of climate change are with us on a daily basis. A concentrated effort to learn more and do more can start by reading books like this one.
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