Wilfred Toadflax’s surprise birthday is a picnic feast of cakes, pies, jellies, and fruits. It’s the kind of high-carb meal that makes your teeth hurt. Mr. Apple’s grace suggests that the food is local, but not as he suggests from “our green fields.” By any standard, this is a gourmand’s delight. But why is it that so many children’s picnic stories encourage overeating and unhealthy meals?
Featured Image: Jill Barklem, Brambly Hedge: Spring Story. Illustrated by Jill Barklem. New York: Philomel Books, 1980.