When the Snack Food Genie appears, Jesse begins to recognize how food fuels his body.
The Snack Food Genie tempts Jesse with all that is yummy and oh so craveable, but Jesse begins to make connections between the food the Genie wants him to eat and how that food often makes him feel. As the Genie shows up everywhere and to everyone, Jesse decides to fight back.
In
Jesse and the Snack Food Genie / Jesse y el genio de los bocadillos
, the author combines years of experience fighting hunger as a food bank CEO with an MFA in writing for young children to craft a story of how children and adults are affected and influenced by the way food is marketed and sold. Jesse's story also addresses the ways food can fuel our bodies and change our mood.
A section at the back of the book provides additional information in English and Spanish on snack food, advice for listening to body cues, and recipes to try.
Food Justice Books for Kids series
This series takes complex food justice issues—food insecurity, how food is marketed and sold, and food systems—and makes them kid-friendly and fun to read. In three separate but connected stories, Lulu, Jesse, and Frankie confront the Hunger Monster, Snack Food Genie, and Food Phantom. As they do, readers follow along and learn more about how each of us can take small steps toward greater food justice for everyone. A section at the back of each book offers children ways to further explore the story and make a difference in their own communities.