Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden: Try it, you’ll like it!

We’ll take all the help we can get in this house when it comes to battling with our son over his daily fruit and vegetable intake.  And make no mistake, it is a battle.  Fortunately, for as much as Owen dislikes his veggies he is equally passionate about his love of books.  We recently received Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden, a new children’s book co-written by celebrity mom Kimberly Williams-Paisley and her own father Gurney Williams III, and it looks as though we have finally gained some leverage in our ongoing dinner table war. 

Kimberly, mom to 15-month-old William Huckleberry, says that she was motivated to write the book ($5 at Amazon.com) because she wanted her son "to see the fun in eating healthfully."  Since becoming a mom Kimberly said she feels "even more connected to the land and what it offers a growing child," and in her foreword she thanks Huck for being the "inspiration for this book and the source of a multitude of other blessings."

The story is fairly straightforward:  Henry, the title character, starts out as a junk food junkie.  He’s not the most active kid around, preferring video games and television to playing outdoors.  When his mom runs out of patience with his eating habits she calls up Aunt Sally, who lives on a farm, and asks if Henry can come for a visit.  While there, Henry discovers all the things he’s been missing out on:  Playing kickball and tag until the sun sets, munching on pears freshly picked from the tree, and eating root vegetables he pulled from the ground himself.  At the conclusion of the story, Henry — who has since returned home with a newfound love of veggie pizza and the great outdoors — is depicted planning a secret vegetable patch for his own backyard.

We really enjoy reading Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden to Owen.  While we don’t have an Aunt Sally (though I so wish we did!), Owen is intrigued by Henry’s trip to the farm.  The book does a great job of conveying the virtues of eating good foods and — even more importantly — trying foods again and again, even if you’ve dismissed it previously.  The book is geared towards 7 to 10-year-olds but Owen had no difficulty following the storyline at 4-years of age. If you have a picky eater on your hands, clear a spot on the bookshelf for Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden – and clear some room in the fridge for some fresh fruits and veggies!

To purchase, click here.