Review: Zombies Don't Eat Veggies!

Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies!

A book review

by

Aixa Perez-Prado @professoraixa @aixasdoodlesandbook #readyourworld

Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies by Megan and Jorge Lacera (2018, Lee & Low Books, ages 4-8) is a story that somehow manages to weave in themes of identity, belonging and cultural values while simultaneously tackling critical thinking strategies, the undead and gastronomy. What? 

I was gifted this book in order to provide a review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020. As an academic specializing in multilingual/ multicultural education, critical thinking, and diversity studies, I have frequently been asked to review academic texts rather than children’s literature. However, as an aspiring Latinx kidlit author myself, and voracious consumer of picture books, I was very happy to oblige.

When I received the title that I would be reviewing, to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled. I had already heard positive comments about this book as part of the kidlit community and more specifically the Latinx kidlit community. I knew that it was regarded as a fun book featuring diverse characters. But I wasn’t that enthusiastic about reading it. I am not the kind of person who automatically finds zombies appealing, much less zombies who don’t eat veggies. In addition, as a diverse author, I often find books that are supposedly ‘diverse’ to not be diverse in the ways that I think are interesting or authentic. 

I don’t find the use of kids of different skin tones going about their day as if they all had the same skin tone -with everything that entails -particularly appealing. I don’t find myself as a child immigrant, or my linguistic and cultural minority students, very well represented in these books. The characters don’t seem to go through the kinds of subtle discrimination and ‘othering’ we went through as kids. They rarely face the internal struggles that so many of us did when we felt that we didn’t quite ‘belong’. The books I sometimes hear are ‘wonderful’ often leave me with a feeling of ‘meh’. They may be beautifully illustrated, poignant or funny, but they don’t make me think. More than anything I am looking for books that feature diverse characters and their circumstances that make kids think. I am looking for books that create empathy and celebrate multiple perspectives, books that value diverse ways of knowing and being. It turns out that vegetarian zombies and their non-vegetarian families are just the ticket. 

Mo, our main character, an adorable little zombie, is obsessed with veggies. He grows them, he nurtures them, he loves them. His parents, on the other hand prefer conventional zombie fare – brains and other assorted body parts. They are traditionalists who enthusiastically serve up hilarious heaps of Latinx zombie delicacies such as arm-panadas and brain and bean tortillas. Que rico! Little Mo does not like these foods, he wants to eat carrots, onions, turnips and cucumbers. His parents are appalled. Rightfully so, this kid is breaking their cultural norms! He is like a kid with immigrant parents that just wants to eat the blue box mac and cheese like all the other kids, but his parents keep serving him arroz con pollo. So unfair! It’s veggies he wants, while it’s dori-toes they serve. The parent/child roles are somewhat reversed, at least to a non-zombie way of thinking. The kid seems to be making what we humans would consider ‘healthier’ choices. As a non-zombie I defer to any actual zombies who can provide more information on zombie cuisine, nutrition and cultural values #zombievoices.

With this sticky and icky family conflict, Mo begins to wonder if he is even a real zombie. He questions his identity, his sense of belonging, his ‘fit’ in his own zombie family. Now he is very much like every immigrant kid, or kid of immigrants, who does the same thing. We question ourselves, we wonder, we worry that we aren’t quite right. Rather than despair, Mo sits down to have a think. What is he to do? An idea suddenly shoots out of him with all of the energy of a blender full of chopped veggies on full power mode with a badly secured lid. He will use his own personal secret kitchen (every kid who reads this book will want one) and critical thinking skills to persuade his parents to love veggies as much as he does! Mo is a flexible thinker, a problem solver and most importantly, he is persistent. All essential talents that will serve him well in life. 

Mo comes up with a brilliant plan to make a veggie filled traditional Spanish sopa that looks a lot like a bowl of lumpy blood. He reasons that this cleverly disguised concoction should be irresistible to the parentals. He works diligently on his recipe and ultimately presents his dish with a new improved name,  instead of gazpacho he calls it, ‘blood bile bisque’. Mo understands the power of labels (more critical thinking). His parents are intrigued, they try it. Pero…NO! They gag. Que asco! They taste the veggies and they are not amused. Once again, they must forcefully remind their son that “ZOMBIES DON’T EAT VEGGIES!”

And here is where the book really grabs me. Mo does not respond by slinking away, or learning to love brains, or giving up his identity. He does not somehow convince his parents to love veggies. Instead, he asserts his identity as a zombie who is ‘different’, but still, ultimately, a zombie. He reminds his parents of all the parts of zombie identity that are close to his heart and because they love him, his parents listen and learn to accept him just as he is. He belongs with them, even if he is not like them. Just as in every immigrant family, they make room for new ideas and values, languages and customs, while keeping a place for the old. They make room for each other. 

I don’t know if the authors of this book set out to write a story that helps immigrant kids, and the kids of immigrants, find themselves in a funny and pun-y way. But that’s what they did. I immediately thought of all the times I was told that I was not a ‘real’ Argentinian by members of my own family because I didn’t want to eat asado or flan. It hurt. I wanted to be a real Argentinian, but I also just really wanted a peanut butter sandwich and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Was that too much to ask? I didn’t have books with zombies like Mo to show me how to stand up for myself, how to reason and demand to be accepted and appreciated for who I was. But I would have loved to. With this book, a whole new generation of diverse kids can identify with and feel empowered by one little zombie - and not because he likes veggies. 

The choices, the foods and the set-up of this story are creepy-funny. The illustrations are wonderfully whimsical, both charming and deliciously disturbing. Kid readers will squirm and squeal in delight at each page turn. The interweaving of Spanish words and short phrases throughout the book is seamless and smacks of the reality of living in a bilingual household. I highly recommend this book for educators, parents, and kids of all backgrounds, especially those living with more than one culture in the home. Bonus: there’s recipes in at the end! I enthusiastically give this book a Zombiereads rating of five turnips and toenails (that’s a five star rating for you humans out there).

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 (1/31/20) is in its 7th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.  Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.

MCBD 2020  is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board

Super Platinum

Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings,

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Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,

Silver

 Author Charlotte Riggle, Capstone Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd & B is for Breathe,

Bronze

Author Carole P. Roman, Snowflake Stories/Jill Barletti, Vivian Kirkfield & Making Their Voices Heard. Barnes Brothers Books,  TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books,  Charlesbridge Publishing, Barefoot Books Talegari Tales

Author Sponsor Link Cloud

Jerry Craft, A.R. Bey and Adventures in Boogieland, Eugina Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Kenneth Braswell & Fathers Incorporated, Maritza M. Mejia & Luz del mes_Mejia, Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Josh Funk and HOW TO CODE A ROLLERCOASTER, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove,  Lauren Ranalli, The Little Green Monster: Cancer Magic! By Dr. Sharon Chappell, Phe Lang and Me On The Page, Afsaneh Moradian and Jamie is Jamie, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, TUMBLE CREEK PRESS, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Gwen Jackson, Angeliki Pedersen & The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by Mia Wenjen, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher (Founders of Inner Flower Child Books), Ann Morris & Do It Again!/¡Otra Vez!, Janet Balletta and Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Ocean, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo & Bruna Bailando por el Mundo\ Dancing Around the World, Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries,Sarah Jamila Stevenson, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Teresa Robeson  & The Queen of Physics, Nadishka Aloysius and Roo The Little Red TukTuk, Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore & Stories by the Girlfriends Book Club, Finding My Way Books, Diana Huang & Intrepids, Five Enchanted Mermaids, Elizabeth Godley and Ribbon’s Traveling Castle, Anna Olswanger and Greenhorn, Danielle Wallace & My Big Brother Troy, Jocelyn Francisco and Little Yellow Jeepney, Mariana Llanos & Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess/La Ñusta Diminuta, Sara Arnold & The Big Buna Bash, Roddie Simmons & Race 2 Rio, DuEwa Frazier & Alice’s Musical Debut, Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series  Green Kids Club, Inc.

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

A Crafty Arab, Afsaneh Moradian, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Bethany Edward & Biracial Bookworms, Michelle Goetzl & Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Educators Spin on it, Shauna Hibbitts-creator of eNannylink, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joel Leonidas & Descendant of Poseidon Reads , Imagination Soup, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Serge Smagarinsky , Shoumi Sen, Jennifer Brunk & Spanish Playground, Katie Meadows and Youth Lit Reviews

FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

·       Free Multicultural Books for Teachers

·       Our New FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit http://ow.ly/kcbZ30p3QWz

·       Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators

·       Free Understanding Developmental & Physical Challenges Classroom Ki 

La Bruja

La Bruja

A spooky Spanglish story for Halloween - Latinx MG

Sit down, sientate, there’s something you need to know if my mom is marrying your dad. It’s for your own good, so listen. It’s not that I don’t like you, it’s just that I think you should be prepared in case something happens. I’m not saying it will, but it might.

It’s about the witch, la bruja. I was about your age the first time I saw her. Real, live and in person. It wasn’t my imagination. You may not believe it, but it’s la pura verdad, completely true. I don’t talk about it much because adults think I’m trying to get attention. I’m not. If I wanted attention then I’d want the good kind, not the kind that makes people think I’m weird. You think I’m weird, don’t you? Never mind,  I don’t really care what you think. 

I didn’t feel like going to bed that night. I hated bedtime like most little kids. At the time, I slept in a bed with my Abuela. That was back when I lived in Argentina. We lived in the middle of the city in a dark old building with creaky floors. You could call it spooky I suppose, but I thought it was perfect. It was right before I came to the USA.  

I didn’t know I’d be leaving home forever then, I had no idea. I thought I was just going to visit my mom, your future evil stepmother. Ha, ha, just kidding. Es una broma! Stop looking so scared. She’d left the year before. Basically, my parents were getting divorced but nobody bothered to tell me that. It’s wrong not to tell a little kid her parents are getting divorced right? Adults sometimes think it’s too much for a little kid to understand. But you know it isn’t, don’t you? 

The day I saw the bruja for the first time was before I knew anything bad was going to happen. Divorce, being forced to leave my home. All that fun stuff. So don’t think that I conjured la bruja up from stress or anything. Adults think seeing witches in real life is either stress, or a great imagination. Don’t believe them, no lo creas! It isn’t that at all. Adults just can’t handle things they can’t explain. But you know there’s things they can’t see right? There’s so much they don’t know. 

My Abuela was the best. She cooked all the most delicious foods, empanadas, milanesas, tortillas. Plus, she told great stories. I used to spend all day with her, listening to her stories, cooking with her, doing errands together that ended up with me getting ice cream. I wasn’t a stressed out kid, I was a happy one. I swear.

You probably think that I made the bruja up in my head but I didn’t. I’m not crazy. Do I look loca to you? 

            The first night I saw the bruja Abuela got in bed and told me to get in too, pero no, I refused. I just stood there on the floor right next to her side of the bed. I wanted her to tell me another story or play with me but she didn’t. She just pulled up the covers and turned her back to me. It made me mad, you know? Why not tell me one more story? Uno mas? If adults would only cooperate with kids once in a while things would be so much easier.

            I was pretty stubborn so I decided I was just going to stand there the whole night to make a point. My point was that I could stay up all night if I wanted to. It was a dumb point now that I think of it, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. I just stood there in my pajamas with my arms crossed. I was waiting for Abuela to turn around and talk to me, tell me another story – solo uno mas.

            I was getting really bored standing there when I noticed the doorknob on the side door beginning to turn. Our bedroom was right across the hall from that door. We always used that entrance during the day, but I wasn’t expecting anybody to open that door at night. I remember just staring wide eyed  as it slowly creaked open. I didn’t move a muscle, but my heart was racing.

            Nobody opens a door that slowly unless they are up to no good, right? Obvio. So I was scared but for some reason I didn’t reach out and try to shake Abuela awake. It was like I was frozen to a spot on the floor just across from the slowly opening door. I stood there motionless, dura, watching, as the opening gradually became wider and wider. Despacito, despacito.

            Finally, it opened wide enough for me to see who was on the other side. That’s when I saw the witch. La bruja! She looked exactly like you’d expect a witch to look. Her skin was grayish and her nose had at least one hairy wort on the end of it. She was wearing all black and she even had the standard issue pointy witch hat. She was hideous and terrifying. Horrorosa!

            Somehow I was able to leap right over Abuela and in to my side of the bed in one swift motion. It was like I flew. Volé! I immediately shot under the covers without making a sound. And Abuela didn’t move a muscle.

            After a few seconds, I peeked out to see if the witch was still there. She was. She had come right in to the bedroom and was standing almost at the same spot I had stood a moment before. My heart nearly bust out of my chest, pum-pum, pum-pum. ! But still I couldn’t make a sound – silencio total. It was like I’d forgotten how to scream. All I could think of doing was closing my eyes and hiding under the covers. 

            The next thing I remember is waking up the following morning. The bruja was gone but Abuela was still in the same spot - stone cold dead right next to me -  muerta!. I swear! Te lo juro! At first I thought she was sleeping but when I touched her she was cold. You might be thinking that I dreamt the whole thing but I know I didn’t. You can’t dream someone dead can you? 

A few months later, I saw the bruja again.  Suddenly, there she was walking right up the stairs of my new house in the U.S. It was just after my mother had sent me up to my room for being bratty. I was pissed. It was bad enough having to move to another country, but now I also had to go to a new school and learn English with a tutor! I hated English, and I didn’t want to go to a new school. I just wanted to go home. 

That time the witch looked different, kind of cartoonish. She was two dimensional, like a drawing come to life. But she couldn’t fool me. I knew it was her by the way she stared me right in the eye. Her gaze has the power to paralyze. I can’t speak, I can’t scream, I can’t even run away. I can only close my eyes and cover my face with whatever is available, so that’s what I do. Eventually she disappears. That same day my English tutor fell down the stairs and cracked her head open, spilling her brains out all over the floor. She died, obvio. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Here’s the thing, the last time I saw her was this morning. It was right after I woke up. I’d been up all night thinking about the upcoming wedding. My mom and your dad.  A guy with a little kid and the dumbest moustache of life - ridiculo. No offense. I am not exactly happy about the whole thing. I already have a father, I don’t need another one. Especially not one with a moustache like that! And who wants siblings? I don’t, do you? Sit down, sientate! I’m not done. 

The bruja was in the mirror when I went to the bathroom, staring right at me. Again, she looked completely different, this time she looked kind of like I’d look if I was a witch. While we were staring at each other I tried to say something  but I couldn’t. This time I didn’t cover my face though. It’s like we were having a staring contest or something. Finally  I gave in and closed my eyes, but just for a second, solo un segundito. When I opened them again she was gone. 

Hey, what’s wrong with you? It’s creeping me out the way you’re just sitting there looking at me like you’re frozen or something. Are we having a staring contest? You look pale. Maybe you should lie down. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I can stand here right next to you all night if I have to. Or as long as it takes.