It’s bananas, right?

HOW TO FEED YOUR PARENTS debuted one year ago, today!

In lieu of a more traditional cake, my children baked several loaves of banana bread in honor of the event. Actually, I’ll be honest here: We had a bunch of bananas that were past brown and on their way to mush, so the kids dug out a cookbook, doubled the recipe, and tripled the chocolate chips. It had nothing to do with the book and everything to do with not wasting food.

And serving as an excuse to eat more chocolate chips than strictly necessary.

That said, when it dawned on everyone that today was my first bookiversary—and that I was looking for a photo to take to include with a blog post to mark the occasion—my firstborn arranged this tableau. My wife held up a quilt in the background so you can’t see the messy kitchen. Family!

What’s that you say? What does one get someone on the occasion of their first-ever bookiversary? Well, since you asked: Just about every author I know is a sucker for

• leaving an honest review on Amazon

• leaving an honest review on Goodreads

• generally spreading the word about the book

• pie

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to grab a copy of your own, now is a great time. It also makes an ideal first-day-of-school gift, which is totally a thing. And if your local library could use a copy, maybe suggest the title? If your branch already has it on the shelf, give it the ol’ check-out treatment.

To everyone who has supported me, and Hatem Aly, and our book over this past year, thank you, thank you, thank you. My lifelong dream has long (since I was 4) been to be a published author. Over the past 12 months, I’ve been humbled by how Matilda Macaroni’s story has been received—and how it has inspired so may children (and families) to try new foods.

Here’s to another year of quality family time, reading, growing, and quiche.

Eat with adventure!