The Little
Lunch books are a wickedly sparkling series for children (and their adults)
to fall into with hilarity and glee. Cleverly chaotic words and messy, inky
images with line-drawings all intermingle in the most perfect, unexpected and
disgusting ways.
Back in the
day when my young children inhaled each of the Little Lunch books with
abandon, I was delighted, horrified, amused and repulsed in turn. And I’m happy
to report, that I still am. These books are fabulous!
The School
Gate begins
with sad Manny, whose lunch box has fallen outside the school gate where no
children are allowed to go during school time. What follows is the involvement
of his entire class thinking up ingenious and ridiculous ways to retrieve it –
which they eventually do. And they help him eat his amazingly diverse
and delicious lunch, too.
As I’ve stated previously, one of the many gifts of the Little Lunch series
is that it shows children at their best and worst simultaneously. These books
are also way ahead of their time in offering up strategies for communication, inclusion,
resilience and self-determination – without ever mentioning those words!
This book’s
bonus stuff includes a quiz, riddles, making instructions, puzzles and other
unmentionables. And Little Lunch is now also a television series to
boot!
Highly
recommended (except for the squeamish). Read Elizabeth’ reviews of the other Little Lunch series.
Title: Little Lunch: The School Gate
Author: Danny Katz
Illustrator: Mitch Vane
Publisher: Walker Books, $14.99
Publication Date: January 2023
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760656805
For ages: 8 – 10
Type: Junior Fiction
