Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt Book Review

The holiday season is upon us, which is the time for giving
thanks, giving back, and focusing on the less fortunate.  When people like myself are sitting around at
the dinner table during the holidays, enjoying time and food with our families
and friends, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the other people (and
children) who are not able to enjoy these luxuries. Take for instance, the main character, Maddi, in a book we’ve been reading to our daughter lately called Maddi’s Fridge.

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce
to you the 32-page picture book, Maddi’s Fridge by Lois
Brandy, especially since this book’s main focus is on poverty and child
hunger. 

The book has two main characters, Maddi and Sofia, who are each
other’s best friends, neighbors and classmates. 
These two girls spend a lot of time together, wither it’s at school or
on the playground running, jumping and climbing, so you’d think they’d know everything
about each other, right? Nope! Maddi has a secret. 

One day, after playing at the park, Sofia invites herself to
Maddi’s home for a snack, which is when she discovers Maddie’s secret: Maddi’s
fridge is practically empty besides condiments and a container of milk for her
brother. 

“Why doesn’t your mom go to the store?”
Sofia asks.

“We don’t have enough money.”

“But what if you get hungry?”

“We have some bread,” Maddi says.

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

Sofia promised her best friend she wouldn’t tell, but, she
still wanted to help her friend. But, how could she secretly get food and help
for her friend without spilling the beans to an adult? Sofia struggled through
different scenarios of trying to sneak food to her friend that didn’t quite
work out well.  In the end, Sofia
realizes that telling her mom about Maddi’s secret would be best since it will
help her get her friend, Maddi some food and help.  In the end, Maddi and Sofia remained friends
even though Sofia didn’t keep Maddi’s secret.

Maddi’s Fridge is an “issues” book that focuses on child
hunger, which is a topic that, for a three year old, may seem a bit too mature;
however, I do think that the book organically illustrates the issue of child
hunger and poverty in a way that makes it easier for a child my daughter’s age
to understand.  I wholeheartedly believe
that it is important for children to learn early on in life the importance of
trust in friendships, empathy, and secrets, and which secrets to share with an
adult, which are all of the things we are currently working on instilling in
our three (almost four year old). 

Overall, I enjoyed reading Maddi’s Fridge to our daughter because
it gently teaches her through its story line and amazing illustrations to be
grateful for everything she has because there are other children who do not
have.  I’m not going to even lie and say
the book didn’t pull on my heart strings either because it did.  I’m pretty sure if you read it, it would have
the same effect on you.

Maddi’s Fridge is currently available at local retailers and Amazon.com for
$13.39 – $18.00. This book with beautiful engaging pictures courtesy of
illustrator, Vin Vogel, makes a great gift for a child aged 4-8 or in Kindergarten-3rd
grade, or even to your child’s class for reading time. In the spirit of giving
for the holiday season and beyond, 10% of the proceeds of the sale of Maddi’s
Fridge goes towards fighting childhood hunger.

Disclosure: A copy of the book, Maddi’s Fridge was provided for free for review purposes only. Affiliate links.