I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

Charlie & Lola

by Lauren Child

"Youngsters will never — not ever — pass up a second helping." — Publishers Weekly

Lola is a fussy eater. A very fussy eater. She won’t eat her carrots (until her brother Charlie reveals that they’re orange twiglets from Jupiter). She won’t eat her mashed potatoes (until Charlie explains that they’re cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji). There are many things Lola won’t eat, including — and especially —tomatoes. Or will she? Two endearing siblings star in a witty story about the triumph of imagination over proclivity.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Fiction, Humor, Family, Nutrition

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Lauren Child MBE is an English author and illustrator. She was the UK Children's Laureate from 2017-19.

Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.

Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.

Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.

Child lives in North London.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picky eaters beware...sometimes the best tasting food just needs a new name!

[Orla Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice book in which fussy eater Lola is tricked into eating various different foods by her older brother Charlie who is often given the task of serving Lola's dinner. Lola insists that she 'will never not ever eat a tomato' along with many other vegetables but when Charlie gives these foods new names and says they are from exotic places such as planet Pluto...well Lola just can't resist! This book provides a link with the topic of healthy eating and children can be encouraged to reflect on foods that they deem 'disgusting' or to create their own funny names for different food. Repetition is used throughout and children enjoy joining in with the telling of the story and predicting Lola's responses. I like the fact that the story portrays a friendly relationship between the siblings and this could be highlighted to children and discussed. Overall I feel it is a nice, simple book to read with young children.

[Juan Carlos malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro infantil divertidisimo que ayuda a los más pequeños del hogar que son melindrosos a la hora de comer. A ver a las verduras y frutas como una aventura gastronómica de otro universos usando la imaginación.

[Beth Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child is told from Charlie's point of view. There are nights when it is his job to give his sister Lola her dinner. This can be a challenge as Lola is a fussy eater. Charlie comes up with a way to call the foods she doesn't like different things; mashed potato becomes cloud fluff, peas are green drops from Greenland etc. Eventually, Lola tries the foods and even tries a tomato but of course it's not a tomato, it's a moonsquirter. This is a great book that I am sure many if not all young readers can relate to. I love the interesting illustrations that are photographs and drawings and the way the text moves and wraps throughout the story. I'm always looking for books that can be used as examples of good ideas and word choice. The different names Charlie gives the foods are great examples of both those traits that could lead to some fun and interesting writing pieces. I definitely recommend this book!

[Lee Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max got this book for the holiday's from his Aunt Karen, and this spring it has become one of his favorites. It is a sweet story of a little Lola who is quite a picky eater and her brother's clever trickery to get her to eat...but who really has the last laugh...you will have to read. One more thing...it must be read in a British accent :-)

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Charlie and Lola books can be very entertaining reading outloud with a British accent!
Everytime I brought a Chalriel and Lola book to read to my Daughters class they all whooped with delight and INSISTED I read like Charlie and Lola once they heard me do it with an accent!
Fun for us all!

[Bug · Rating 5 out of 5]

she eats tomato

[Bug]

so cute :,)

[Nafis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently read this book to a class of young school children, I was amazed at how popular the Charlie and Lola series is. This book in particular is very engaging for children especially the use of illustration which is somewhat familiar to the art style used in certain Roald Dahl books. The story is about Charlie who is attempting to feed his younger sister Lola, her dinner. However Lola is a very “fussy eater” and does not eat a lot of food that is on the menu. Charlie decides to trick her by giving the food that she doesn’t like, new and inventive names. One example of this is when he calls the peas; “green drops from Greenland”.

It’s a very simplistic story that has a certain charm that will engage many children that read it. Not only does it engage their imagination but it also engages their learning key words, which in this case is the name of all the types of food which are constantly repeated during the text. This a very good book to introduce to children who are in their early years of language acquisition. Furthermore, given the huge following that Charlie and Lola have as a brand, it is very easy to convince many children to read it! I would certainly recommend this story for children between the ages of 3-7years.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my first Charlie and Lola book. It really made me smile. I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the imagination of what they would call the different food. And, of course, I liked seeing Lola trying the food (and liking it!). I thought the pictures and text style were rather fun, too.

6/29/10 & 7/1/10 This worked well in storytime. The children had fun seeing the foods familiar to them be "changed" to something else. Some of the parents commented on how they enjoyed the book. A success, if not a raving one.

4/2/11 Oh my--the Pop-Up of this is fabulous!!!

4/18/12 This worked in my Adventures! theme (because food can always be that!). I had a huge group again. Yay! And they were definitely into the book. They loved seeing what Charlie called the food. And they liked telling me if they did or didn't like certain foods mentioned.

3/22/17 The entirely too young for preschool crowd got this a little better than the other book. A little. I asked what foods they do not like, and they kept saying what they did like. And they didn't seem to grasp what the brother was doing. But they smiled and liked the pictures and liked seeing her eat clouds and twiglets...... *sigh*

[Angela O'donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Child has gotten it right when it comes to healthy eating with this lovely story. Lola refuses to eat anything healthy, she especially hates tomatoes! Her big brother Charlie, plays a trick on her and tells her that each of the different foods, have a new name and a story behind them. That potato mash is no longer just mash, its actually cloud-fluff from Mount Fiji! Can you believe it?? Lola does, and she is eager to try out these amazing foods. Between orange twiglets that come from Jupiter and green drops from Greenland, Lola is tricked into eating all her vegetables!
This story was a wonderful story to read a loud to a Reception class. They were enthralled at what Charlie could name each food type. It also lead to a wonderful discussion on healthy food, it encouraged the children to try them foods at dinner-time, and with encouragement they actually liked the moon squirters! They couldn't wait to find out if they had any fish sticks!

[Nazrul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people I know are fussy eaters and NO-ONE likes their vegetables! (well almost no-one) and Lola is no exception! She does not want to eat her vegetables but her brother Charlie cleverly thinks of new names for her vegetables and stories behind them to entice her to eat them; which she does.

Again this was an excellent read to the children. There is an important message here that we need to eat our vegetables to stay healthy and it is imperative that as teachers we highlight the significance of eating healthy. Books such as these are an excellent way of getting these messages across in a fun and interactive way as the children are familiar with the characters and the tv series.

If you haven't yet picked up a Charlie and Lola book, your missing out! I have even got my 3 year nephew the box DVD set, which he ABSOLUTELY LOVES!

Well done Lauren Child

=)

[Ece · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I read to my reception class during SBT1. They absolutely loved it! I think it is a really imaginative and fun way to engage children in healthy eating. Lauren Child has successfully identified the typical food items children seem to constantly find excuses not to eat. She converts Lola, 'the fussy eater' to a healthy eater. The language is easy to model to children and they are able to pick up Lola's new and improved eating habits.
The colourful illustrations and short sentences make it more appealing to children at EYFS, but I'm sure any child at KS1/2 would also enjoy this as an independent read.
For me this story was a huge success in terms of introducing healthy life styles and even became an extension for a literacy session where children tasted food items from the story and used creative vocabulary to describe the taste and texture of each one.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the imagination of renaming food. 11/28/13

I was a little worried about using this with my young story time crowd, but Charlie and Lola were able to keep my antsy toddlers attention. One mother who had a baby and had to leave early had to pick up her toddler and carry her out. She didn't want to leave! 11/19/13

Used in PJ Story Time. Everyone seems to enjoy Lola and Charlie.

Used with a first grade class. (requested)

Used with PreK and K in outreach. 11/12/14

Used in Preschool Story Time. I was a little worried because it was a younger crowd, but they sat still for it and just looked on with wide eyes.

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am absolutely enchanted by Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books. They are A-DOR-A-BLE!
It's so cute to see a slightly exasperated brother try to show his little sis the way to navigate the world. It's obvious that he loves her and would probably rope the moon for if she asked in her overly adverbed way of talking.

This particular book is about Charlie trying convince Lola to eat something that's good for her, but she's not sure about.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I practically had to force my son to let me read this to him because I wanted to read it so bad. I thought it was a really cute and creative book and I love to read it to him. However, he'd rather read anything about trains or fire trucks than read what mommy wants. Sigh. =) I'd definitely read more in this series but only if he lets me, lol.

[Julia Stevens]

I love to read this story before lunch time and rename with student input, everything we are having that day with something silly. This is a great book to read for picky eaters as well and I think it has more influence because Charlie and Lola are well known characters.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book out loud to my 6-to-9 year olds today. They really enjoyed it. It might serve well to encourage fussy eaters to be less fussy. However, the book, more generally speaking, is just a good read out loud book for young students.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all about attitude!

[Huda Fel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one could be so helpful; I liked the book's idea. Children keep surpriseing us with their responds; one of my relatives started eating tomatoes after hearing a kids song!!

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author, should have reviewed it when I read it with my kids. The show is so cute.

"I have this little sister called Lola".

Ahhhh, memories.

[Rebecca Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science - food groups, food chains
Imagination - use similes to describe
Film adaptation - watch on youtube
Lifestyle - lifestyles choices
Tricks - Charlie plays a trick on Lola

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny book in the 'Charlie and Lola' series. Lola is a fussy eater and will not eat a lot of things like carrots or potatoes and especially tomatoes. Charlie finds this difficult as when it comes to feeding Lola this is tricky. So Charlie comes up with a plan by getting Lola to eat the foods but by saying they are something else. For example she says carrots are not carrots "that they're orange twiglets from Jupiter" and mashed potato is "cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji". Lola goes on to eat these foods discovering that she actually likes them and surprises Charlie by asking for a tomato at the end - the one food she was adamant that she would not eat.
This is a good book for yo0ung children as it explores the message of trying new foods even if you think you don't like them.
Most pages are double page spreads with a full page bleed which makes the reader feel more included in the story. All the illustrations are bright and draw the eye while still allowing the text to be visible and easy to read.
One particular picture on pages 8-9 depicts Lola looking at a carrot on a table. She is positioned on the top half of the verso looking at a carrot which is on the table positioned on the bottom half of the page. She is pictured quite big suggesting she has higher power / status. You as a reader are situated looking across at her which feels like you are also at the table looking at the carrot. This picture carries across to the recto with it stopping about half way across the page. On this remaining page is a blue background with five carrots lining horizontally spaced out with writing on each carrot. This is effective as the text is about carrots therefore makes the text more interesting to read and visually.
The text throughout uses simple language which is easy for young children to read. The text is written in black font throughout - bar one page with a black background so white text is used. As well as this different font sizes and shapes are used throughout which makes the text more interesting to read and places emphasis on some words which may aid the reading of this book when read out loud. As well as this it has been found that "Young children love this variation: those who cannot yet read pick out the letters; those who can love the variation and delight at being able to cope with it." (Walker, 2009) Although it may be useful it is not expected for children to understand all of the foods mentioned as pictures are included to help the reader. What the reader may need to already have the knowledge of is planets and locations so when words such as "Jupiter" and "Greenland" are mentioned readers can understand what these are - helping make sense of the text.
As mentioned previously this book can be read out loud and the differing fonts can help with emphasis and also this book can encourage discussion of both the book and of foods the listeners may not like. It can also however be read independently, especially for those who love the Charlie and Lola series.

References:
Walker, S (2009) Typography in Children's Books. Available at: http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/154/... (accessed: 25th February 2018)

[Evelyn]

This was popular with the three year olds today. The premise is that big brother Charlie tells us his sister Lola is a picky eater, and then outwits her into eating all her most despised foods. The loathed carrots are "orange twiglets from Jupiter," the mashed potato is "cloud fluff from Mt Fuji," etc. Lola goes for it, and eventually turns the tables on Charlie in a way that makes us wonder if she's in on the joke all along.

At the risk of sounding puritanical, I'm not a big fan of tricking kids into eating foods they don't like. See the work of Ellyn Satter, the nutritionist who came up with the idea that it's the parent's job to offer a range of healthy choices, and the child's job to decide what to eat. Satter discourages tricks and games, bribery, the idea of good vs bad food, the pressure to clean one's plate and all the other dubious ploys parents resort to when trying to get their kids to consume some ideal diet. What I really admire about Satter is that she also says "don't get too hung up on the rules." Paraphrasing here, but I really recommend Satter's work. No one else comes close, and she is quoted in medical school textbooks as well as by educators like Berry Braselton. Still she seems to be a voice crying in the wilderness, and it's a message that-- unfortunately-- you're unlikely to hear at the pediatrician's office or at a parenting group.

I don't mean to suggest that you can't have some fun with a try-new-things story. These Charlie and Lola books were wildly popular when my oldest was little, I'm pretty sure this one came through the house. For some reason I found myself resisting their charms even as I could appreciate their appeal and the author's skill. Who knows why-- our likes and dislikes for picture books are as powerful and as inexplicable as our longings and aversions to particular foods. I'm also curious if the title strikes anyone else as a double negative-- I keep trying to parse it. Which may be deliberate. What say you?

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute take on the picky-eating kid topic. With the adorable Charlie and Lola.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picky eaters can be difficult to deal with. This is why this book is so delightful. Here we meet two children, one who appears to be trying to help the other out when it comes time to eat dinner. Sadly, the younger child is not interested in eating anything they have determined to be weird.

The solution offered is fun and entertaining. I absolutely love the idea of coming up with creative names and backstories for foods to make them more interesting. What a great concept and what a great series! I can't wait to read the next book and see where we go from here.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Will Not Ever Never at a Tomato.
Author and Illustrator: Lauren Child
Reading Age: 0-5 year olds

School dinner ladies have a tough job trying to get children enjoying their school dinners these days. Children are the fussiest eaters, and with stricter food regulations in schools for healthy nutritious lunches, fussy eaters are at their fussiest. The School Food Plans maintains that lunches should include least one portion of vegetables or salad every day and one portion of fruit, no extra salt and free, and of course fresh drinking water. But what happens when a child refuses to even try a new piece of fruit of veg, do we let them go hungry or let them eat cake?

Well, it seems Lauren Cole’s colourful illustrations and famous characters, Charlie and Lola, have the problem sorted. I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato tells the story of how Lola, to the annoyance of her older brother Charlie, refuses to eat a tomato. Lola is a fussy eater; she refuses to eat certain foods based on ridiculous reasons. For example, when Charlie offers Lola some peas to eat she simply replies; ‘Peas are too small and too green’.

Charlie has a clever idea, and decides to trick Lola into eating the foods she refuses to ever eat. When Lola sees some peas, she reminds Charlie that she doesn’t eat peas because they are green. Charlie tells Lola that he wouldn’t give her peas to eat, they are not peas but ‘green drops from Greenland. They are made out of green and fall from the sky’. But Lola isn’t that gullible and persist that she doesn’t eat anything that is green. Charlie doesn’t give up on his mission to get Lola to eat; he carries on with his trick. Charlie tells Lola that these ‘green drops’ are very rare and that there will be more for him. Lola then decides that she will try a nibble and then says, ‘quite tasty’.

Charlie continues his trick to get Lola to eat all the foods she refused to ever eat. For example, Charlie turns a mash potato into cloud fluff from Mount Fuji and carrots onto twiglets form Jupiter. In the end Lola, who ‘absolutely will not ever never eat a tomato’ askes Charlie to give her ‘moonsquirters’. To Charlie’s amazement ‘moonsquirters’ are really tomatoes.

Lauren Child’s illustrations throughout her book are large and bright, grabbing the attention of any reader. The front size is clear for the younger reader and beautifully spaced out across each page. The use of brackets in the text allows for comic effect also. This would be a great book to read aloud to a class due to the colourful illustrations and its subject matter. This book would be a great resource for introducing the subject of food and eating healthy.

I really enjoyed this book as it reminded me of my fussy eating days as a child and a similar trick that my own parents played on me. This book also comes with a free wall frieze, which would be great in the classroom to remind the children that being a fussy eater is very immature and that adults eat healthy foods (well most of us).

[Jordan Caton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Will Never NOT Ever Eat a Tomato would be a perfect read aloud. I loved loved loved this book! It fits all of the main criteria a read aloud should have. It would be in the appropriate time limit, the pictures are fun to look at and they are big and colorful. This is a story about a little picky eater named Lola. Her older brother gets her to eat different things Lola said she doesn't eat by making up what they "really are." For example, peas are not peas. They are "green drops from Greenland." And fish sticks are something mermaids eat. In the end, Lola eats a tomato all on her own by saying that she loves "moon squirters." This is a book children can relate to in many ways. First, there is a show with these characters in it. The students might like reading something about them. Also, many of the children have probably said they were never going to eat something, and this shows they might actually like it. Its also fun for the children to anticipate what is next and what she will make it into.

The illustrations are equally amazing. They do a great job incorporating what the food "really is" into a fun adventure story. The text is also incorporated into the text instead of having a separate text box. For example, on the page with the aliens and outer space, the text is in wiggles. The text is also fun to look at because it has different sizes and fonts to emphasize different words.

I would recommend this book to grades kindergarden through third.

[Xiomara Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting children to eat everything is not always easy. We usually have to arm ourselves with patience and put into practice all our tricks and imagination to achieve that goal. This is precisely what Charlie, the character of our book, does to make his intelligent and stubborn sister Lola.
A great story, fun and educational told the best way of Lauren Child, with its characteristic collage where she narrates scenes of everyday life.
Lola is so demanding that she does not like to eat anything: neither carrots, peas, mushrooms, spaghetti, eggs, cauliflower, bananas, apples, cheese, and of course, the tomatoes that has promised that never in life is going to eat one.
And so, with much patience and Charlie’s imagination, who turns the peas into drops of Greenland, mashed potato in clouds of Mount Fuji, carrots in oranges of Jupiter or fish sticks in a product from an underwater supermarket, get Lola to like them, and she has perfectly understood the game, who asks her for that food that she would never eat in her life since the moonlighting is her favorite.

I would highly recommend this book in the classroom to promote nutrition education, physical activity, and literacy with young children.

[Jaide Simran · Rating 5 out of 5]

'I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato' by Lauren Child is a very imaginative and witty childrens book about two siblings who share a dialoge about food. Lola is what we call a 'fussy' eater and seems not to like any vegetable the exists, until her brother Charlie persuades her. He imaginatively lurs her into believing that carrots are not carrots but twiglets from Jupiter, that peas are not peas but greendrops from Greenland, that potatoes are not potatoes but cloud fluff, etc. In the end, Lola surprises Charlie by using his own tactic on him, which offers children a sense of humour which they can relate to.

The dialogue within the story is exactly what you would expect between typical brother and sister. The story teaches children what certain vegetables look like and if they themselves are not keen on a vegetable that imagining it is something else might help them to eat it.

I read this story in my first placement to a year 1 class and the children were really enagaged in the dialoge between the siblings. It was particularly benefical reading it at story time before lunch!