I love all the books in this series and while my kid is now outgrown them, she loved them when she was younger, I would definitely recommend them to anyone with kids the right age.

Dinnertime for Zaza is beautifully illustrated with plenty of bright fun colors. Zaza, the main character, is a toddler who is going through the ritual of feeding all of her stuffed animals. They are each beloved and Zaza makes them each feel welcome at her table.
Dinnertime for Zaza is a perfect bedtime book for younger readers (ages 2-5 ideally).

We really enjoyed being introduced to Zaza. We will be looking at other books in this series. Dinnertime for Zaza is a fun introduction to pretend play. Zaza is pretending to feed her toys while mom is getting dinner ready.

Even though this is geared towards younger kids, my three year old enjoyed it. I am always looking for books with characters that do not look like my son and this is a great example. Great book!

Very cute, simple story about a little girl pretending to feed her toys and then feeding herself. Relatable for all young children. The illustrations are perfectly adorable and vibrant. A well-crafted little story book.

Such an adorable yet simple book about a toddler carefully feeding her toy animals and then having her own dinner. I love that the main character is black which promotes diversity for the little ones. I will definitely recommend this book to read to toddlers and younger preschoolers!
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet Dinner Tale

This is a super simple short book meant for toddlers. In it, little girl Zaza makes a pretend meal for her stuffed animals. What's cute is that she treats her stuffed animals as a parent would, encouraging them to eat their vegetables and at least try a bite of everything. After she is done feeding her stuffed animals, her mother calls her to dinner where she sits down to a meal. I like that this book reinforces habits using the phrases that parents are apt to use. The stuffed animals are darling, as is little Zaza herself.

What a simple but beautiful story where the main character Zaza is having "dinner" with her stuffed animals. She is treating them in a way that a parent would treat a child. She is imitating life. I love the authors use of a POC of color for the main character in this story. I think that diversity in stories especially children is key. The illustrations were wonderful. This would make a great addition to any preschool/early grade classroom, or for any child's personal library.

A very simplified book for the youngest readers. Zaza is a very young girl who makes a meal for all of her stuffed animal friends. Then she gets called to eat her own dinner.

When I was a kid, I used to pretend my stuffed toys were my friends/family and have dinner parties and school days with them. This book instantly reminded me of that, so I think it fares well on the aspect of being realistic.
All her stuffed friends also have quirks and characteristics of their own.

I did really want there to be more 'story' but I think it'd suffice for a children's book.

Dinnertime with Zaza is such a cute book about a little girl named Zaza pretending to make dinner for her stuffed animals. Zaza is using all of the best mommy tactics, "But you have to try everything. One more bite, and then we can have dessert." Yeeesss, go Zaza! The book ends with Zaza enjoying her dinner. An excellent book for kids who are learning mealtime routines and helpful for those of us with picky eaters.

Zara makes dinner for all her stuffed friends and tells them things such as vegetables make you strong. Then when her mother comes she has dinner. Colourful illustrations.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

A sweet book about a young girl who feeds her stuffed animals a meal. I enjoyed the bright colorful illustrations that will certainly be eye-catching to the target age group (24 months and up). My personal thought would be to use this book for ages 18 months to 3 yrs.

The language is very simple and straightforward. Probably similar to things parents might say as they enjoy meals with their toddlers.

A negative I noticed was that Zaza encourages her animals to eat up and THEN it will be time for dessert. I have seen a lot of nutritionists encouraging parents not to use dessert as a "reward" (or give it a perceived higher value than other foods). Dessert is simply one of many things one could choose to eat. If parents embrace this philosophy they will want to adjust the wording of that part of the story.

Colourful with a simple narrative, this is a book that toddlers are sure to love and may enjoy pretending along with Zaza.

Delightful and highly colorful short tale of play-serving a meal, and then finishing the celebration with an actual meal. I love the color and art style!

For the youngest of little ones as it is a very short story, 10 pages or less of actual story, but wonderfully done.

Sweet! It captures the cute play of young children in a wonderful way.

5 stars for the youngest age group (only). Thank you to NetGalley and to Clavis Publishing for an ARC for review. Honest opinion given.

Another book in the Zaza series. This book shows Zaza taking care and feeding her animals. It is simple enough to do at a Toddler Story time, while also being enjoyable to read. The illustrations are cute and playful and will sure catch the eyes of a toddler. It shows that everyone has different eatings styles and every style of eating is okay.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This would be so perfect for toddler and preschool age children. I know my own kids would have loved it at those ages!

A great exploration into the challenges and successes of mealtimes with toddlers.

This book does a great job of showing this experience from a child's perspective, and uses stuffed animals as a way of introducing a variety of reactions. As an aunt of a toddler, I can see this being a great resource for helping mirror this formative - and often challenging - experience for both children and parents.

My only feedback is that the pacing feels a bit rushed, even taking into account short attention spans.

All in all, a relatable and timeless story!


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Little Zaza loves making dinner for all of her friends. This is an awesome book for toddlers. Its the perfect book for their developmental stage. I work in childcare and I haven't met one kid who didn't love to play in toy kitchens.

I received an electronic ARC from Clavis Publishing through NetGalley.
So much for young readers to love and relate to in this book by Freeman. Zaza cooks dinner for all of her stuffed animals. She knows just what each likes and how to get them to eat. It's implied that she will be as healthy an eater as her mom calls her to dinner to end the book.
Warm and colorful illustrations welcome readers in to the story. Simple to follow text allows beginning to early intermediate readers to enjoy this one on their own. It can also be a delightful family or classroom read aloud.