From passion project to award-winning children’s book
By Vittoria Pasca
The idea to publish an educational book to teach children to appreciate local fruits and vegetables came from a chat I had with chef Sikipio Fihaki from Niu Grillz: “Kids love colouring, why don’t you publish a children’s book which teaches them about healthy eating and nutrition while they colour?” he asked me.
But for the project to work, I needed to find the right person with a background in pedagogy and creative teaching to complement my nutrition and cooking skills. Courtney Underwood-Dass was the perfect fit: an early learning educator and former television producer and host loved by a generation of Fijian kids.
She really liked the idea too, so we started to work on it as a passion project, not really sure if the actual book would ever materialise.
In June 2023, We love our veggies came to life with the help of illustrators Ropate Kama and Clarence Dass. Fully designed in Fiji, thanks to the collaboration of local talent and small businesses, the book was awarded the ‘Fijian Designed’ emblem by the Fiji government.
Fiji’s First Lady, Madam Filomena Katonivere launched the book with the observation that despite all the abundance of tasty, nutritious and healthy produce available all year round in Fiji, sometimes getting children to eat greens can be a bit of a challenge: “Even my grandkids sometimes don’t want to eat rourou [taro leaves], so I have to find creative ways of preparing it to make it more appealing,” she said.
Her hope is that “once children learn about health and nutrition, they will share their knowledge with their siblings, parents and grandparents too, starting a virtuous circle in the family”.
We love our veggies is a colouring, activity and recipe book divided into two chapters. The first focuses on vegetable growing, plant identification and eco-friendly activities such as recycling food scraps and used containers, while the second chapter covers nutrition and healthy cooking, and includes several recipes, as well as activities and trivia about nutrition.
Courtney explains that “when putting together a healthconscious activity book, our main aim was to make something fun and engaging, while also teaching kids – and maybe some adults – about the variety of wonderful fruits and vegetables we have available here in Fiji.
“Despite the competition from the readily-available processed and junk foods all around us, I hope that our book will teach kids that eating healthy can be fun and worth the effort, whether it be by going down to the market, or by growing things in your own backyard.”
The book won the silver medal at the 2023 Best in the World Gourmand Awards in the category ‘Food Books for Children – Oceania’.
Vittoria Pasca is a Fiji-based nutritionist, lifestyle medicine professional and award-winning book author.
