2020 Volume 53 Issue 4 Pages 277-284
In this study, we developed a picture book based on the current status of local specialty provisions during lunch in the nursery schools and kindergartens in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The picture book was tested and evaluated by nursery school and kindergarten teachers in order to confirm its usefulness. As a result of its evaluation from various aspects, the picture book received the highest score (4.4 out of 5.0) for the "design of the end of the book" and the lowest (3.8 out of 5.0) for the "layout of the letters". As 88.4% of all children subsequently described it as "interesting", reading and showing picture books presenting local specialties might be effective for the development of an interest in food culture in children, from the age of 5-6 years. Furthermore, children, who looked at the picture book while the teachers read it, have enthusiastically said "I want to eat «kencho»" and "I want to cook it". This suggests that the children's motivation for eating and cooking could be increased by incorporating eating and cooking scenes in these books. Therefore, we could assume that the development of a picture book based on the current status of local specialty provisions would not only raise the willingness of childcare workers to read, but also create opportunities for children to become interested in other local specialties and specialty products.
