Who Wants Pizza?: The Kids' Guide to the History, Science and Culture of Food
Botany, zoology, chemistry, human physiology, nutrition, and other aspects of science are at the center of this highly readable photo-essay, illustrated with numerous color photos, diagrams, and sidebars on every double-page spread. Starting with a focus on pizza, the casual, interactive text discusses why the body needs vitamins, calories, salt, fats, and proteins; explains with step-by-step facts how the digestive system breaks down food and extracts the nutrients; and explores how food comes from fields to plates. Included among the covered topics are the chemistry of fertilizers and pesticides, the obesity epidemic, the technology of genetic modification, fish-farming, and fast food, providing a wide-reaching, global, and historical view. Most urgent are the environmental issues: what about world hunger problems? Can science come to the rescue with genetically modified crops and are there dangers involved? A packed page containing a glossary and list of resources closes this food-for-thought title. Grades 5-8. --Hazel Rochman