20

You all probably know who Sarah Fragoso is – author of the Paleo recipe and workout book, Everyday Paleo, blogger at everydaypaleo.com, and trainer at Robb Wolf’s lauded gym, NorCal Strength and Conditioning. I like her work because she gives realistic, practical advice for people with families. She herself has 3 kids who are all Paleo, so it seems natural that her latest book is for children. Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship couldn’t have come at a better time, as so many people are hopping aboard the Paleo train now, and so many of them have children.

The book is pretty awesome. It’s colorful and bright, and the artist (not named in the book) is clearly talented. It tells a story of three superhero children, the Paleo Pals, who eat Paleo and fly around in their Carrot Rocket Ship to help macaroni-loving children like Jimmy understand why their parents want them to eat Paleo. It illustrates the differences between industrialized, processed food and whole, Paleo foods in a way that kids can understand. For instance, the “factory where they make the food that comes in boxes, cans, and cartons” is shrouded in dreary doom with black smoke coming out of it. It’s a little hyperbolic, but it definitely puts a bad taste in your mouth for boxed, canned, and cartoned foods, which I’m guessing is the point. Nice work on that one, Sarah.

My favorite part of the book was when the superheroes show Jimmy the differences in kids’ behavior that result from eating crappy food. They’re on a playground and some kids (the Paleo-eating kids) are jumping around having fun and others are sitting on the ground looking miserable. The Paleo Pal explains, “They just ate their lunches with lots of processed foods and sugary drinks. Their tummies hurt and they feel kind of slow and sleepy.” Perfect. That’s a perfect way to explain that to kids after they know what processed foods are. After getting kids all excited about cooking and eating Paleo (I mean, it even got me excited), the book doubles as a cookbook with 10 recipes that kids can help out with (includes instructions for “Kid Jobs”). Very creative.

I will personally suggest this book to people who have kids and want to go Paleo. I don’t have kids myself, but I can only imagine what it’d be like to try to replace pizza with steak and veggies on a kid’s plate. Thanks for the awesome addition to Paleo books, Sarah!