What are the benefits to playing  with your food?

A study published in Developmental Science (December 2013) examined toddlers interacting with food while sitting in a highchair. The study concluded that "When young children messily eat and explore food at each meal, they are learning both about individual foods and also about nonsolid substances more generally. Children may be doing more than just making a mess in the moment: they are forever changing their attentional biases and the way they will learn over development." —Perry, Samuelson, and Burdinie 2013. The study was also reported in the New York Times (December 23, 2013), the Huffington Post (December 2, 2013), and the Atlantic (December 6, 2013).

My child is a picky eater!  What should I do?

Read Them and Eat Books act as an enabler for the child to be introduced to new foods. When mealtime becomes an enjoyable experience, the child's perceptions about certain foods may be positively interpreted. In a May 2015 Reuters article titled "Playing with food may help preschoolers become less picky eaters", it was stated that "Playing with food may actually help kids overcome a fear of new flavors and eat a more varied diet."

How should I clean my Read Them and Eat book?

The best way to clean the books is to hand-wash them with a little bit of dishwashing soap and water.  Make sure to use a sponge to clean off all the vestiges of food.  Do not put the books in the dishwasher or use boiling water to clean.