A Paleo Diet children's book - an experiment in group creativity

Hello everyone. After getting consent from Joe Quinn - and I'm assuming also from Laura - to post this, we are trying a new idea for Sign of the Times.
This project is to develop a children's book on the Paleo diet that is both entertaining and informative. What I have here is a storyboard of the basic idea plus some rough pages to start. What we need for you good people is some contributions to the text to make this work. How do we explain the Paleo diet to kids in a story that gets across the basics. it'll be FUN.

The story I've developed is of a precocious little girl named Polly who builds a Time Machine out of a card board box. She travels back to the Paleolythic times and meets a cave people family named the Paleos who invite her to stay for lunch. And it goes from there.

I'm thinking that dialogue that can reach kids can be developed and then I can complete the illustrations to match the story pretty easily. It's what I do for a living as an illustrator. (Right now I'm developing the look, so there's inconsistencies that need to be worked out style-wise, but the beginning - the cover - I like. ) I've developed children's books before, but not in this fashion. We're open to any ideas you might have.

When it's completed it's for Sign of the Times and potential eBook production.

So here goes:

This is a great idea and the graphics look nice! I think if it gets good feedback it would be awesome to see a second book come out with some recipes! ;)

GAIA said:

This is a great idea and the graphics look nice! I think if it gets good feedback it would be awesome to see a second book come out with some recipes! ;)

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I agree,

I also really like the way the graphics are done, I am certain it would appeal to children with the way it is drawn. Great job!

Awesome!!!, if there is need to a Portuguese or Spanish translation of the text, you can count on me!!...

Keet the good work, and the graphics are very nice indeed..

Looking good so far !

This is really cool, New Orleans! I really like your style!

I think New Orleans is looking for some input from forum members on the actual content, pointers on how to refine it, make it better, more relevant etc. Any ideas?

That's it exactly, Perceval. If we choose, it can be a group project not just my stuff - it could use some help, and it can be fun too. Ideas are welcome.

I really like the graphics as well. Great idea!

My initial thoughts would be to include some type of descriptive of the animals in their wild/natural state. Some type of reference to "free range " and eating what nature intended. It could be added while the girls are walking to the camp. Maybe even passing some type of edible vegetation that is not farmed, but I'm not sure about that one. I wouldn't want children to be encouraged to eat wild berries or something which could be poisonous.

When Polly and her counterpart are walking to lunch, we could have them sing this:

I Wonder said:

I wonder, I wonder, how animals know
To go to sleep with the coming of snow.
I wonder, I wonder, how animals know
To wake in the spring, when other things grow.​

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This is designed to get the reader in a questioning state of mind that is at the same time holistic, setting up for the conversation with dad & Poola.

I am envisioning this with Poola, she would say something like "you know, it's really very amazing that the people in the future are so silly that they don't even know what to eat and what not to.

Dad can then jump in and say "Yes it is dear, I don't think I've ever seen a Mammoth eat a Saber tooth." ( :/ )

Btw, pg 12 isn't it supposed to be Pippi and not Poola?

NewOrleans said:

What I have here is a storyboard of the basic idea plus some rough pages to start. What we need for you good people is some contributions to the text to make this work. How do we explain the Paleo diet to kids in a story that gets across the basics. it'll be FUN.

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Then it's really the first step imho.

People with writting skills must come up with the story for 30 (?) pages (intro, conflict, resolution)
It's basic but maybe it can help :
_http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Children's-Story

Maybe the little girl has built the time machine because she wants to understand why her family is getting sick, then she meets the paleo family who explain to her what happened and what to do, then she comes back with the solution to help her family getting healtier. Just an idea.

Here is one idea :

- Pippi and Polly go for a walk and they see wild cows grazing on a field. Polly says she is thirsty and a glass of milk would be fine and ask Pippi if she could milk one of the cows. Pippi's jaw drops when she hear this first and then she starts laughing out loud and says that this is the most ridiculus thing that she ever heard and so on. Polly doesn't understand her response but when they get back home Poola explains her why they don't drink milk.

ps : i agree with others, i liked the idea and graphics very much.

Perceval said:

I think New Orleans is looks for some input from forum members on the actual content, pointers on how to refine it, make it better, more relevant etc. Any ideas?

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I think the storyline could integrate some experiences a child will relate to. It might be good to have a back story in the first couple of pages, along with a little drama too. Like after having a meal of bread and pasta, Polly hears her dad grunting about his back pain, that her mom is too tired to play and her brother is having trouble focusing - or something along those lines. So she goes to bed with (her dino stuffed animal?) wondering how to help them and wakes up with an idea. She sets out to find answers to help them in the time machine and finds herself in the Paleolithic time. She discovers how much energy and fun the Paleo family has together, and then the Paeloes can share with her the connections about what the right kinds of foods can do for energy and fun.

When she gets back she can share her experience with others and it can show the family having fun together eating the right foods.

ha, seems I was thinking the same as Tigersoap:

Tigersoap said:

Maybe the little girl has built the time machine because she wants to understand why her family is getting sick, then she meets the paleo family who explain to her what happened and what to do, then she comes back with the solution to help her family getting healtier. Just an idea.

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un chien anadolu said:

Here is one idea :

- Pippi and Polly go for a walk and they see wild cows grazing on a field. Polly says she is thirsty and a glass of milk would be fine and ask Pippi if she could milk one of the cows. Pippi's jaw drops when she hear this first and then she starts laughing out loud and says that this is the most ridiculus thing that she ever heard and so on. Polly doesn't understand her response but when they get back home Poola explains her why they don't drink milk.

ps : i agree with others, i liked the idea and graphics very much.

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Considering that they would probably be aurochs. The explanation, hmm I don't know, my world history teacher in high school said that aurochs were very ill tempered and that the peoples that domesticated them were really daring.

Great idea, NewOrleans! I'm looking forward to seeing more of this.

I like Shane's and Mrs. T's story line very much, and think it would appeal to lots of kids.

A few more ideas:

- Polly could find out that paleo kids never had any teeth problems, and didn't have to go to the dentist and suffer. Their teeth were strong and healthy from eating all that meat.

- Another thing could be that paleo children/adults were not afraid of sleeping in total darkness, because they knew that light meant staying awake, and that was bad for their health. And that by eating what is good for their bodies, they were protected from evil spirits even in the dark.

- She can ask why they hardly ever eat veggies, and paleo people can have her think about it: those poor plants cannot run like animals. They are stuck in the ground. So, their defense is to produce toxic substances (lectins) that poison our bodies. But they let animals eat them, because they see that they also need food. And then, we, humans, get the nutrients from both by eating the animals and what was in their bellies.

- Paleo people made yummy dishes using lots of animal products and fat. Nothing was wasted, because they valued life and were thankful for the animal that had sacrificed itself in order to help them survive.

- Animal fat was a better fuel that any sugar could ever be. They were able to run miles and miles, built amazing structures with few tools, etc. They were never sick. There can be an analogy made with cars, there.

I'm sure you can come up with nice and fun ways of saying all this.