The Sandwich Swap Book

I just loved this book! It's a picture book story based on the real life of the author. When she was in nursery school she brought hummus sandwiches for lunch. One day a friend of hers was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which she thought looked revolting. She was offered a bite and took one to avoid being rude. She loved it! She says in her author's note at the end that "It's easy to jump to conclusions when we come across something new or foreign or strange…if we take the time to get to know each other…we learn something wonderful…want every child…to understand this…When they do, they'll each become …someone who helps bring people of all cultures and backgrounds closer together." (That's probably too long a quote. Ah well.)

In this story, Lily and Salma are best friends but their different sandwiches almost come between them. The story shows how a whole group can get involved in intolerance. The story is so engaging and funny and sweet. I love its resolution, although I do admit I did have concern for children who have special diets for religious or ethical reasons or because of allergies, etc. issues. I do love that the 2 sandwiches focused on could be/seem to be vegan. And, the friendship story is marvelous; all elementary school students are likely to identify with it.

I adore the illustrations in this book. They're in such a "friendly" style and such a wonderful complement to the story. I enjoyed seeing from one of the pictures that Lily is left handed, which isn't mentioned in the story. I love that the language used is "kids' language" and that the feelings and beliefs of the children make sense.

When I was in sixth grade we were each paired up with first graders. One of the little girls apparently felt out of place because she was one of the few Chinese American students in the school. One day both grades got together and we all made and ate (Americanized, though I didn't know it at the time) Chinese food, and just about all of us loved it, and some of the students had never eaten it before that day. This book kind of reminded me of that experience, of learning a bit about a culture through their delicious food. Of course, in this story, Lily and Salma are best friends before they allow their different lunch contents to temporarily get in their way.

This book has a lovely message, a very interesting and amusing story, and illustrations that I really enjoyed. I don't care a whit that it's didactic. The story stands on its own even without the blatant message. Anyway, some messages deserve to be pushed!

This would make a wonderful gift, especially for early elementary school age girls, and if I was in buying mode, I'd consider getting myself a copy to share with the kids I know. This is one very worthy "celebrity author" book.