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,

Platinum

Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls,

Gold

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