posted on 07 May 2018

Splat! How the smoothie was invented by Robin Bennett with illustrations by Kate Shannon

This is a big, colourful, anarchic splat of a book – and great fun it is too. Robin Bennett writes the verses and Kate Shannon does the smashing (literally) illustrations. Publisher, Monster Books has also recruited Dale Pinnock – The Medicinal Chef - to provide some smoothie recipes for everyone to enjoy once the book has worked its magic.

This entirely true (honestly) story of how the smoothie was invented has been conjured up to convince children who are reluctant consumers of vegetables and fruit that healthy eating can be fun:

“This book is dedicated to all children who normally prefer to throw fruit and vegetables than eat them. Give them a try, you might be surprised.”

The people of Fruitopia live up in the trees and grow their fruit ‘that’s squidgy at the edges’ and from their position high in the air they can look down on the Vegtavillains who spent their time eating ‘crunchy cabbage and chunky beans’. Huck lives in the trees and when one day he’s reaching for a fat, ripe peach, he slips and the fruit plunges down right onto the head of Vegtavillan’s Prince Drool. And this is all it takes to start a fruit and veg war!

Tomatoes fly, bananas whiz and the aubergine is unleashed – and that’s the final straw. Fruit and vegetables of all kinds fly backwards and forwards:

“A horrid hail of kidney beans

Gales of squishy tangerines

Then there came a mighty shower

Cannon balls of cauliflower"

So much fruit and veg is thrown that the river turns to psychedelic, flavoured gloop – and, everyone agrees, it’s delicious.

Soon Huck and Prince Drool are enjoying the mixture of fruit and vegetable juice and agree that they will always want to mix them in future:

“Cosmic concoctions

Are groovy

We shall call this stuff a

SMOOTHIE"

Finally, you can turn to the last page as see Dale’s smoothie recipes – Mean Green Smoothie, Chocolate Morning Smoothie or Very Berry.

 Make mine the Chocolate Morning Smoothie – please.. Yum.

 

Terry Potter

May 2018

( Click on any image below to view the illustrations in slide show format )