Book Review : Paleo Pals by Sarah Fragoso

I never thought I'd have a favorite publishing company, but that has changed over the last couple of years.  Victory Belt has published The Paleo Solution, Paleo Comfort Foods, Everyday Paleo, Make it Paleo and their upcoming releases include Eat Like a Dinosaur, Make Shift Happen and Whole30's It Starts with Food!  Without Victory Belt, I seriously doubt that we would have this many paleo books available.

So they are my hands down favorite publisher, and it would be true even if they had not sent me an advanced copy of two of their newest titles, one of which is Paleo Pals by Sarah Fragoso, the author of Everyday Paleo.

Ron and I have two young grand-sons (and another on the way!) and have been long-time fans of another children's book, "No Eat Not Food".  That book's message is that many of the things we feed our children are "not food", and the story is one of discovering healthier food choices.  It's a fun and quirky story that covers the benefits of organic food, but with out any references to animal proteins.  With Paleo Pals, Sarah has created a story that also addresses the issue of what our children eat, and while there are plenty of references to vegetables and fruits, the illustrations and recipes include meat.  That makes us happy because we agree with her, "children should have plenty of good fat and protein".

Paleo Pals is a story about three super hero siblings - Piper, Phoenix and Parker who "travel the land helping other children learn about living the healthiest, most exciting, most super lives possible."   In this adventure they help a little boy named Jimmy, who is not the least bit happy about the new healthy food his parents have prepared for him.  So the Paleo Pals take Jimmy on a journey in their Carrot Rocket Ship to show him "just how fun and exciting it can be to eat healthy paleo foods."

"If you can't read it, don't eat it!"  

On their journey, the super heroes show Jimmy the difference between real food like what you can find at a farmer's market, and the stuff in boxes and cans from food factories.  They teach Jimmy how he can help prepare meals and how eating healthy helps you feel better and do the things you love to do - instead of acting out or having a tummy ache when you eat too much sugar and processed foods.

Every page of Paleo Pals is filled with charming illustrations and small enough blocks of text to keep the young reader interested.  Paleo Pals also includes some fun recipes that your children can help you prepare along with an approved food list. 

If you have read Everyday Paleo or your a fan of Sarah's blog, you know that she converted her own family including her three sons to a paleo diet, so she knows the transition is not an easy one.  Sarah made the transition without the help of super heroes, but you don't have to!   The book begins shipping today, so if you're a paleo mom or dad but your kids are not giving up their gummy bears without a fight, get your copy of Paleo Pals now.

The other book in my package from Victory Belt was "The Healthy Gluten-Free Life" by Tammy Credicott, and it's going to take me a little time to get through the 429 pages, but a review of it will be posted in the near future.