This is a story about a skinny boy who at first did not like to eat and was very thin, but later on, when he finally started to eat – he would not stop. It was awful: when he was thin his pants would fall down, and when he gained weight they would burst at the seams. What could be done? Ask his mother who had a solution to every problem.

This book, which has been selling extremely well in Israel for the last ten years, recently became even more popular with the growing awareness among both parents and children of the problem of childhood obesity. Although there is a moral to the story, its great success (12 editions have been published so far!) stems mainly from the fun that the young readers derive from the story.

 

The author, Israel Wiesler (nicknamed “Poochoo”), was born in Tel Aviv and published his first book, “What a Gang,” at the age of 26. “What a Gang” won a major literary award, became a best-seller and was adapted into a successful movie. Since then, Wiesler has written more than thirty books and dozens of scripts for TV series aimed at children and young adults.

Wiesler’s works, written with a warm and special sense of humor, won six literary prizes in Israel. In the reputable “Ofek Lexicon” for children’s literature in Hebrew, Wiesler is described as “the best humorist writer for children and young adults in Israel.” Poochoo was one of the only three Israeli writers to be honored last year by the printing of a postage stamp portraying the cover of one of his books.