Mission:Explore is our innovative project that helps people to explore and see the world in new ways. Mission:Explore Food is our latest in a series of award winning books and websites. It’s available in hardback from September 1st 2012.
Mission:Explore Food is billed as one of the most controversial and yet important cookbooks ever written for children and families.
Mission:Explore Food is an activity cookbook that challenges children to go cannibal, cook in acid, make chocolate poos (including nuts and sweetcorn), ask the Queen for a swan and work out the best way to slaughter a lamb. Mission:Explore Food has been created to tantalise children’s taste for adventure and tests their understanding not only of where their food is from, but also of where it goes once they’ve finished eating.
“A children’s book that asks them to question if the pig they are eating has ever seen the light of day, make scary soup and keep a poo diary might sound controversial, but it’s vitally important that children think about their relationship with food and have fun while doing it. We all appreciate that children should know how to cook and eat well, but these are just two chapters in the story of our food. Unlike most children’s cookbooks that ignore the rest of the food cycle, Mission:Explore Food includes activities that encourage children to learn about growing, harvesting, waste and soil as well. An essential ingredient is appreciating that their/our choices effect people and places around the world too.” explains Daniel Raven-Ellison, one of the authors.
There are loads of recipes and activities to try in and outside the kitchen developed not by famous chefs and cooks, but guerrilla geographers who are on a mission to encourage children to explore their local area, forage for food and play outdoors. Humorously and provocatively illustrated by the award-winning artist Tom Morgan- Jones, each page includes a quirky mission to complete. Children who complete missions from the book can visit the Mission:Explore website (www.missionexplore.net) to be rewarded with points and badges for their efforts.
This is the fourth in a series of Mission:Explore books, published by Can of Worms Kids Press. Mission:Explore won the National Trust Outdoor Book of the Year award in 2012 and was runner-up for the Society of Authors Education Writer of the Year 2012. The series has also won accolades from Pink Stinks for its balanced portrayal of boys and girls from different backgrounds.
The Mission:Explore team are going on an expedition around the UK over the coming year, starting in autumn 2012. They will be touring in their Explorer Spaceship HQ (van) visiting schools, libraries, food festivals and more to complete missions and share a series of explorations from the book.
“The leading lights of guerrilla geography.” ~ Hay Literary Festival
“A must have book for any adult wanting to grow their own well-balanced child!”
~ Huw James, Science Junkie.
“Oh blimey this book is brilliant!” ~ Emma Freud
Probably the only book I will ever recommend to undergrads, buy for my kids & use as a plate.” ~ Professor Ian Cook, Food expert
Pictures and spreads from the book.
Click on the picture for a high resolution image.
Notes
Mission:Explore Food is available as a 272pp hardback book with an RRP of £20. Digital versions are available on iBooks, for Kindle Fire and online through Graphicly.
Mission:Explore Food was crowd funded by over 170 individuals and organisations including National Geographic and Festival Republic. Free Creative Commons versions of the book are being made available to schools. These are available at http://bit.ly/FoodTaster.
Mission:Explore Food was collaboratively written by The Geography Collective and City Farmers. It was illustrated by Tom Morgan-Jones and co-directed by Daniel Raven- Ellison and Helen Steer.
Launching September 3rd, press copies available now.
Mission:Explore helps children explore and see the world in new ways through guerrilla geography. As well as promoting geography, Mission:Explore encourages outdoor play. There are four books in the series: Mission:Explore, Mission:Explore On the Road, Mission:Explore Camping and Mission:Explore Food. Mission:Explore Water, Mission:Explore Animals and Mission:Explore People are now in development.
The Geography Collective is a unique, creative partnership of over 35 guerrilla geography teachers, explorers, artists, academics, farmers and therapists. Mission:Explore is our flagship project and is popular around the world.
Trackbacks