It’s no secret that food is a big part of our lives. Not only do we love to eat, but we also love going to new places – whether it be a little hole-in-the-wall we’ve been dying to try or a fancy restaurant that we have to save up for – and one of our favorite pastimes is cooking or baking together. We love grocery shopping together, meal planning, taking food to friends, and baking for our neighbors. It’s just a big part of who we are and there’s something so special about our time in the kitchen together – both gathered around the table lost in conversation and stirring or flipping or sifting or mixing, up to our elbows in ingredients.

Natalie Broulette is a writer, wife, and mom. She lives in Savannah, Georgia, with her husband, two kids, and dog. Her first children’s book More Than Food? is about two of her favorite things: food, and her little boy. In More Than Food?, a young boy questions how much his mother loves him, and she expresses her feelings through strawberries, potatoes, ice cream, chicken tikka masala, coconut cake, and more. A picture book full of charming illustrations and playful rhymes, More Than Food? explores the joy of food and language through the imagination of a child.

I love the darling story this book tells and the references to foods that Landon loves, like strawberries, ice cream cones, spaghetti with meatballs, and pancakes. The illustrations are adorable and as I read through, I always ask him to point out different items, which makes it so interactive and fun. This book is relatable and just flat out precious. It is sure to become one of the most reached for stories in your home and can be passed down for generations to come.

You can find her darling tote bags here (she so thoughtfully sent me the “I love you more than coffee” tote, which couldn’t be more fitting).

This book has quickly become a favorite in our household and Landon asks me to read it to him just about every day. He won’t reach up for me with his “bink” (favorite blanket) in one hand and a book in the other forever, so each and every time he does, I stop what I’m doing (if at all possible) and read my sweet boy a story. I hope he grows to love books as much as I do. Just as author Janette Oke (one of my grandmother’s favorites) writes in Love Comes Softly (which was later turned into a wonderful Hallmark movie), “When you read, you can have every adventure. In the pages of a book you can be anyone you ever dreamed of being… They can never tell you you’re too young to slay the dragon — because it all happens right here, where it’s safe.”

Thanks so much to Natalie Broulette for the book and tote bag featured in this post. As always, all opinions are my own.