Alfi Beasti – Don’t eat that!

Alfi Beasti will eat anything except what his long-suffering parents wish him to: shoes, hats,  DVDs, toothpaste . . .
Grandma Beasti comes to the rescue, buys Alfi a chef’s outfit for his birthday and gets him into the kitchen to discover the joys of cooking – and eating!

Published by Puffin Books 2004

ISBN 0-670-91301-4 Hardback

ISBN 0-140-56909-X Paperback

Our own Beasti, Ezra, was fine with eating up until around the age of three when abruptly getting anything into him became a daily challenge and stress. When I started cooking with him, food suddenly became far more interesting. I wanted to write about our experiences and after thinking about characters, remembered ‘The Beastis’, my dog/wolf/human ‘inventions’ who had appeared as pen and ink jam labels for several years. I wrote the book, worked the line drawings up into full colour and started on the long hunt for an agent. A few years on, and with the help of wonderful agent, Celia Catchpole, Alfi Beasti, Don’t Eat That! Was published by Puffin Books.

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Praise for ‘Alfi Beasti – Don’t eat that!’

I can’t quite believe that Alfi has never become well enough known to produce spin-offs. This extraordinarily charming creature and his Beasti family are sending a clear message to children and parents…food can be interesting and children need to be involved in its creation and consumption.

We all know how important healthy eating is, but still need to be reminded….and not just by government guidelines. Every child I have shown this book has been excited and intrigued.

The drawings have so much detail it is a real ‘go back to again’ book. I think there should be Alfi ‘Help him cook’ books, Alfi ‘ Let’s eat this’ and ‘Let’s not eat this’ books and recipes…….it is very frustrating when a little character like this gets sidelined by some of the rubbish we see on the TV.

Buy it, and ask for more !

Penny MB

With the spotlight upon children’s eating habits, this book is extremely timely as a fun adventure in eating good food.
‘Alfi Beasti was a fussy eater.

He ate everything he shouldn’t and nothing he should’. Having demolished books, shoes, tennis rackets and even hats his long-suffering mum and dad are almost at their wits end. Then Alfi suddenly discovers the thrills of cooking with Grandma Beasti and never looks back. He is hooked on cooking tasty fun food – and, of course, eating it!

Capturing a phase in the life of many young ones, when eating the right thing seems to be something of an issue, this story effortlessly and simply presents a wonderful way-in to enjoying eating good food. Without ‘forcing the idea down your throat’ this book takes the young listener and reader into the world of cooking and eating through the mischievous activities of young Alfi. The Beasti family are very-long-snouted …well.. beasties.

With each turn of the page we catch a glimpse into the colourful and busy lives of Alfi, mum and dad Beasti and of course, Grandma Beasti.
Each page is a feast for the eyes – with full-page illustrations in glorious and vivid colour, painted with attention to tiny detail by the author/illustrator, Kate Hardy.

The text is appropriately minimal, with delicious descriptions and repeated catch-phrases just begging to be joined-in-with.
All we need now is an Alfi Beasti cook-along book for little ones.

This book is a must for all young children! Buy this book for your own children and for your school reading corner.

Emma P