The Fearless Food Explorer: Steps to Learning About a New Food is a playful and empowering picture book that helps children approach new foods with curiosity-and helps parents feel confident guiding them using gentle, evidence-based strategies grounded in feeding science and child development.
Written by Sarah Auriemma, MS, CCC-SLP, a pediatric feeding specialist and mom of two, this beautifully illustrated story supports both the child who feels hesitant or scared to try new foods and the parent who feels unsure how to help.
Children follow along as the main character learns to treat new foods like an adventure-using their senses to look, touch, smell, and taste at their own pace. Through colorful illustrations and playful storytelling, kids learn that food exploration can be fun, safe, and full of discovery.
For parents, every page reflects the same principles used by feeding specialists in practice, including gradual sensory exposure, play-based learning, and responsive mealtime support.
More than just a story, The Fearless Food Explorer bridges the gap between clinical feeding strategies and everyday family life-making the core concepts of feeding therapy accessible to families in a joyful, relatable way. It's both a delightful picture book and a practical resource for parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists who want to help children learn to explore and enjoy new foods.
The back of the book includes bonus parent pages with quick tips, food exploration ideas, and playful activities to support continued progress beyond the story.
Perfect for ages 2-6, The Fearless Food Explorer reminds families that learning about food isn't about pressure-it's about small, exploratory steps taken together.
Sarah Auriemma, MS, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric feeding specialist and speech-language pathologist with advanced training in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. Drawing on over a decade of clinical experience and her role as a mom of two, she founded Ocean Pediatric Feeding, where she helps families navigate picky eating and feeding challenges through evidence-based, play-centered strategies. The Fearless Food Explorer is her debut children's book, inspired by her mission to make feeding therapy principles accessible to every family. For more feeding support visit www.oceanpediatricfeeding.com
Donna Schafer is a children's book illustrator whose expressive artwork is inspired by everyday life. Through her illustrations, she hopes to spark imagination and curiosity while helping stories come alive for young readers. You can see more of her work at www.lollyrot.com
