• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Every day, no matter where we are or where we need to go, humans need food.

Imagine carrying meals with you as you parachute into a war zone. Or trying to stay well fed while building the pyramids. People have always found ways to work together to put a meal on the table. What Do We Eat? is a delicious celebration of human creativity and cooperation, wrapped up in bite-sized slices of history, with a look at what scientists and inventors are cooking for the future. We are gobbling up Earth’s resources, and food is not shared equally. But today there's a magic tree transforming the dry African plains, food “ambulances” on the move and cities that have declared access to food a human right. Hungry to find out more? Let’s roll up our sleeves and find out what’s for dinner.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Megan Clendenan has worked for women's rights, mental health and youth empowerment nonprofits as well as for an environmental law group, which is when she realized for the first time that the court system could be a way to help protect human health from pollution and toxic chemicals. She is the co-author of Design Like Nature, part of the Orca Footprints series, and the author of Offbeat, a novel for young readers. Megan lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family.

Megan Clendenan's profile page

Meegan Lim is an illustrator and arts facilitator striving to nurture community growth and healing through visual arts. She holds a bachelor of design and illustration from OCAD University. Her work primarily focuses on the intersections of food and cultural identity, manifesting through detailed gouache illustrations, digital paintings and risograph zines. Her illustrations have been featured in Chatelaine, Eater, Broken Pencil Magazine and the book What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings. Meegan lives in Brampton, Ontario.

Meegan Lim's profile page

“The author leaves her readers to consider wasting less, being more efficient with what we already have and seriously seeking different food sources that have been little explored... A concentrated effort to learn more and do more can start by reading books like this one.”

Sal's Fiction Addiction

“Appealing and engaging…Reveals how the act of sharing food and eating together promotes well-being and a greater sense of cooperation and community…Useful information for students interested in environmental activism or in STEM topics.”

Booklist

“Author Megan Clendenan uses humour and word play to engage her readers in the serious topics of climate change, food waste, and equitable food access...Clendenan and Lim have combined to create an informative book that will engage young readers. What Do We Eat? may even inspire some young readers to ask some important questions about sustainability and accessibility of our current and future food supplies. Highly recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Spotlights a great array of food-related topics. The visuals—a mix of color photos and Lim’s illustrations—underscore the worldwide diversity of both kinds of foodstuffs and of those humans who consume them. Useful for raising awareness of a topic of great and growing concern.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Cheerful, informative…charming illustrations, pithy chapter headings, and dynamic design. A browsable nonfiction work on an intriguing subject with many curricular tie-ins.”

School Library Journal (SLJ)