Today we are very excited to share a special interview with author Toni Buzzeo (Eat Your Superpowers)!
Read on to learn more about her, her book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Toni Buzzeo
Toni Buzzeo has authored twenty-eight picture books for children, including the 2013 Caldecott Honor Book and New York Times bestseller One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction. Endlessly enthusiastic, Toni draws on her career experiences as an elementary school librarian in crafting her books and speaking with audiences of children in schools and libraries. Toni lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, just downstairs from her two lovable grandchildren (endless sources of inspiration!) and their devoted parents. For more information about Toni and her books, visit www.tonibuzzeo.com.
About the Book: EAT YOUR SUPERPOWERS! How Colorful Foods Keep you Healthy and Strong
Twenty-five different foods, grouped by color, are nutritionally decoded in this reference book for the preschool set.
From grapes to beets and oatmeal to cashews, this reference book highlights and explains the benefits of 25 fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, each grouped into color categories and presented with the mind and body benefits they offer. Carefully crafted one-sentence explanations from author Toni Buzzeo provide the perfect amount of information for the preschool audience, and illustrator Serge Bloch’s charming and humorous art make this an entertaining and uniquely appetizing reference book of food facts.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Food! I’m part Italian, so of course, it’s a topic close to my heart. But I’ve also had a long-standing interest in nutrition that has me frequently reading about nutrition and food-as-medicine. The “rainbow foods” concept is one that I often use in feeding myself and one I am eager to share with young readers.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
Actually, the working title of the book was “Rainbow Foods,” but as the concept and manuscript developed, my editor, Cecily Kaiser, suggested that while the color of the foods was the organizing principle (each chapter is devoted to one of the five color groups: Red & Pink Foods, Orange & Yellow Foods, Green Foods, Blue & Purple Foods, and Brown & White Foods) it was the health powers of colorful plants foods that we were focusing on. Thus, Eat Your Superpowers!
YABC: What is your favorite illustration in the book?
I love Serge Bloch’s kale leaf roller skating with band-aids all over it from previous falls because kale is high in Vitamin K which staunches bleeding and creates a scab, but really, what can beat the hysterical pee-ing blueberry—a fruit high in antioxidants and anthocyanins that keeps kidneys strong?
YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2023?
Actually it’s another book of mine that is a great companion for Eat Your Superpowers. In July, Pa, Me, and Our Sidewalk Pantry (ill. Zara Gonzalez Hoang, Abrams Books for Young Readers) will be released. It’s another food book, this time a fiction picture book about food insecurity featuring a grandfather and grandson pair who join forces to add a little free food pantry to the little free library in front of their house!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Amazingly, I have three new books this year. Along with Pa, Me, and Our Sidewalk Pantry in July, I’ll be publishing my first middle grade novel, Light Comes to Shadow Mountain (Holiday House). It’s so exciting to be launching myself into a whole new genre! I’m currently working on my second middle grade novel, a Colonial era historical time travel book.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
In the beginning, I’d never have imagined the versatility required in my publishing career. I began with a historical fiction picture book (The Sea Chest, ill. Mary GrandPre, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002) but have published contemporary picture books, and tons of nonfiction picture and board books, both informational and biographical. And now, novels!
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Ha! Such a great question to accompany my new title, Eat Your Superpowers. I think, beyond a talent for writing, it is my flexibility in genre and my wide-ranging curiosity that has allowed me to publish thirty-two books for readers from birth to twelve over two decades. Of course, being a school librarian didn’t hurt either. All librarians have superpowers, as we all know.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
I live in Arlington, Massachusetts and while I contribute to national and international food programs, my very favorite local cause is Arlington Eats, an organization that ensures that every member of my own town has access to wholesome, colorful plant (and animal) foods that will ensure their health and happiness over a lifetime of eating.
Title: EAT YOUR SUPERPOWERS! How Colorful Foods Keep you Healthy and Strong
Author: Toni Buzzeo
Illustrator: Serge Bloch
Release Date: 4/4/2023
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
ISBN-10: 0593522950
ISBN-13: 9780593522950
Genre: Hardcover Nonfiction Book
Age Range: 2-5
~ Giveaway Details ~
Five (5) winners will receive a copy of Eat Your Superpowers! (Toni Buzzeo) ~US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
I already wanna preorder Pa, Me, and Our Sidewalk Pantry!
So cute
This book sounds fantastic.
The cover is okay. This is an important book for all readers to eat a healthy diet.