From the bestselling author of Go the **** to Sleep and healthy eating advocate Camila Alves McConaughey comes a whimsical role reversal in which picky eater parents are confronted by their three kids, with hilarious results

     These three kids are determined to get their parents to put down the ice cream, cake, and chicken fried steak to just try one bite of healthy whole foods. But it’s harder than it looks when these over-the-top gagging, picky parents refuse to give things like broccoli and kale a chance. Kids will love the jaunty rhyme that’s begging to be read aloud and the opportunity to be way smarter—and healthier—than their parents.

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

My co-author, Camila, wanted to write a book that encouraged kids to eat more healthily and mindfully. My job was to figure out how to make that idea funny. On a phone call, I hit on the idea of flipping things around so that it’s the kids imploring the parents to eat better, which is the kind of role-reversal my own kids love to play around with. That also opened up the absurdity – these parents don’t just eat junk food, they drink industrial waste, and their kids bribe them to eat better by offering to buy them new cars. So with that idea in place, it became really fun to write. 

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

It’s interesting; we wrote the book in the voice of a kid, but then when our awesome illustrator Mike Boldt came on and started bringing the words to life, that one kid became three… so I guess those three kids are my favorites. Especially now that they’re voiced, for the audiobook, by my oldest daughter and two of Camila’s kids!

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

The book came first, and then we pulled a title out of one of the verses.

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

This book is more about the verses than the scenes… I’m partial to the rhyme “I know they’re delicious, but it’s kind of reckless/like wearing a live rattlesnake as a necklace.”

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

I love everything about it. I think Mike brought so much fun and joy and detail to the story that now I can’t even think about the verses without picturing the family he created. 

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2022?

My friend Safia Elhillo’s poetry collection GIRLS THAT NEVER DIE.

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

I wrote a movie called SUPER HIGH that’s forthcoming from New Line. It stars Andy Samberg, Craig Robinson (with whom I also wrote three middle-grades books) and Common. 

YABC:      What would you say is your superpower?

I actually have super-strength and can shoot powerful laser beams from my eyes, but only in diners. I spend a lot of time trying to convince bad guys to grab a slice of pie. 

YABC:   What advice do you have for new writers? 

Read voraciously, put in the time, and don’t ever be afraid to revise, even if it means tearing a project all the way down to the studs.