If you’ve ever read to your kids at all, you know that children’s authors tend to take a whole lot of liberty with their rhymes. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Margaret Wise Brown, but rhyming moon with … moon? I call shenanigans.

Enter The Seven Silly Eaters, by Mary Ann Hoberman. Both my kids sit enraptured while I read this whimsical tale of a mom trying her best to feed her seven finicky kids, easily drawn to the effortlessly flowing rhymes and rich illustrations. Every word in the book has a logical place and purpose, and the narrative comes together seamlessly, complete with happy ending. I love books that I can read like a song, and this one definitely fits the bill — there’s no stumbling awkward prose to be found.

And bonus: The underlying message of the story is that compromise can be a beautiful thing. For a mom who’s dealt with her own picky eaters from time to time, that’s a message I can get behind.