One of Great Neck’s very own is an author of the new children’s books, Jesse’s Magic Plate and Leah’s Magic Kosher Plates. Donna Daun Lester, a registered dietitian-nutritionist (RD-N) and a licensed teacher, wrote two children’s stories designed to teach and promote healthy eating.
Jesse’s Magic Plate teaches children about good nutrition while entertaining them with an age-appropriate story about Jesse, a little boy who encounters a Magic Plate in a secondhand store. After he takes the plate home with him, he’s taught all about eating and living healthfully with good nutrition and exercise.
Leah’s Magic Kosher Plates follows the same concept of reinforcing lessons about health while teaching children who observe Kashrut, Jewish religious dietary laws. Leah, a little girl, encounters two Magic Plates (meat and dairy), and, just like in Jesse’s Magic Plate, after her story concludes, the book contains three projects in which children can make their own magical plates. Plus, there’s a section for adults that helps answer any questions kids might have after reading either book.
The Magic Plates in both books resemble the USDA MyPlate, a U.S. Department of Agriculture campaign to illustrate the five food groups needed for maintaining a healthy diet, which are vege-tables, fruits, grains, protein and dairy. In Leah’s Magic Kosher Plates, only foods consistent with the laws of Kashrut are included.
A Spanish version of Jesse’s Magic Plate, El Plato Mágico de Juanito, will be released in early 2016.
Jesse’s Magic Plate and Leah’s Magic Kosher Plates are learning tools and a great holiday gift for children ages three and up. Both books are available on Amazon.com as well as on their own respective websites, www.jessesmagicplate.com and www.leahsmagicplates.com.
