The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating    by Alice Weaver Flaherty & Scott Magoon Order:  USA  Can Houghton Mifflin, 2007 (2007) Hardcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch In this unique picture book, a little girl named Katerina-Elizabeth has boarded a steamship on her way to visit her grandmother in Scotland. She is traveling alone, and her parents tell her that she must eat her oatmeal every day on the ship if she is to grow big and strong. Katerina-Elizabeth hates oatmeal with a passion, but the crew has strict instructions to feed it to her daily. Katerina-Elizabeth thinks she is outsmarting everyone by throwing her oatmeal overboard. Little does she know that a little worm was following the ship in hopes of getting some of that delicious oatmeal that he finds in the ocean every day. Of course, the oatmeal is so healthy that the little worm grows up big and strong, eventually becoming known as the Loch Ness Monster. Once he settles in Scotland, he quickly learns that there are other dishes hated by Scottish children, including haggis and suet pudding; he looks forward to those foods being dumped in the lake where he takes up residence. The author is a doctor, and she helpfully includes a scientific explanation on picky eating at the end of the book, which serves to reassure parents and children about the relative harmlessness of childhood bad eating habits. The grayish-green illustrations are full of detail and humor. This folktale-like story is a nice addition to any picture book library. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews