Getting our 10×6 urban veggie patch ready for planting.
I’m Andrea Curtis, a writer and editor in Toronto, Canada. I love mucking around in my family’s small backyard veggie patch and dreaming up new recipes for kale and tomatoes. My writing—on everything from urban politics to lost shipwrecks—has won numerous awards. I also teach creative writing to kids, and volunteer at a local school garden. What’s for Lunch? is my first book for children. I live in Toronto with my husband and two sons.
I co-wrote another food book for grownups called The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement (Random House Canada). It is an international bestseller and won several awards. It’s the story of food activist Nick Saul’s work with his community fighting for healthy food for low-income people in Toronto, and an inspirational tale of how good food can bring about lasting social change. It was released in the U.S. and U.K. by Melville House Press. You can find it here and here.
You can read more of my writing at www.andreacurtis.ca
Why did you write What’s for Lunch?
I wrote this book because I think school lunch — something many kids participate in every day — can be an incredible opportunity to open up dialogue between kids and adults, schools and administrators, people and governments about the failures and successes of our food system.
Join me as I explore the power of food to bring people together, break down barriers and challenge inequalities.
Meet the Artists
Photographer Yvonne Duivenvoorden grew up on a dairy farm in New Brunswick’s Chaleur Bay region. Her mother often threw extra potatoes into the pot at suppertime, so that leftovers could be sliced, pan-fried and packed into Yvonne’s lunch the following day. That, along with a bottle of farm fresh milk was the best lunch she could wish for! Yvonne is now a photographer based in Toronto. She creates images for magazines, advertising campaigns and cookbooks.
Sophie Casson has illustrated more than 18 books for children. Au lit Moka! was selected for the 2011 White Ravens and Quelle journée! was shortlisted for the 2011 Governer General’s Award (written by Danielle Marcotte and Laurence Aurélie, published by la courte échelle). Casson also enjoys giving illustration workshops to help kids better understand the language of imagery. Her strong graphic sense comes from her background in graphic design. She aims for efficient, graceful and poetic images that say more than meets the eye. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.
What's for lunch? 