Sheena's Magical Tasting Plate. A Story About A Curious Girl Who Learns to Face Her Fear of New Foods
Sheena's Magical Tasting Plate tells the story of an adventurous girl who loves exploring—except when it comes to food. When new foods begin appearing on her plate as if by magic, Sheena slowly finds the courage to taste, smell, & try. With each small bite, she learns that trying something new can be an adventure & that bravery can begin with little triumphs.
✨🌈 Perfect for Ages 4–7, 5-minute story 🧸🛏️🌙
She climbed higher, asked bigger questions, and imagined lots of faraway places.
But with food, she was different.
She only liked plain, simple food.
Like boiled carrots.
Like mashed potatoes.
Like buttery peas.
And plain rice, no sauce, no gravy, just plain.
Creamy or sticky things made her wrinkle her nose.
Strange smells made it twitch.
Sometimes they made her eyes squint, as if the food were playing a trick on her.
At dinner, everyone else had plates bursting with colours and shapes—reds and greens, swirls and splashes, dips and drippings.
Meanwhile, her plate was always quiet and pale.
This made her feel left out.
Trying something new felt scary.
What if she didn’t like it?
What if the taste stayed too long?
So Sheena kept eating the same things over and over.
One night, just before drifting to sleep, Sheena whispered her wish into the dark.
I wish I were brave enough to taste something new.
I wish I could eat food with colours and shapes.
And, I wish the twitching and squinting would stop when I smell new dishes!
The room grew still, as if the wish had landed somewhere where wishes came true.
Then on Monday, something strange happened.
In her breakfast bowl sat a plump red strawberry.
Sheena pushed it aside and told herself, “I’m not eating that.”
On Tuesday, just like magic, a tiny tree-like broccoli appeared on her dinner plate.
And like before, Sheena pushed it away.
“I’m not eating that.”
On Wednesday, a slice of mango found its way into her lunchbox!
All week long, new foods appeared on her plate as if by magic.
On Thursday, brown rice.
On Friday, pumpkin.
On Saturday, asparagus.
And every day she pushed them away.
By Sunday, Sheena was tired of saying, “I’m not eating that.”
So she decided it was time to explore new foods, tastes, and smells.
As she thought about tasting something unfamiliar, Sheena felt both afraid and excited; a little ball of anticipation grew inside her, small but growing braver as she imagined what each new bite might reveal.
As she thought about smelling something unfamiliar, Sheena felt both scared and curious; her nose twitched, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but it soon stopped as she imagined what each new smell might uncover.
That night, she went to bed promising herself to smell, taste, and try new foods should they magically pop up on her plate, in her lunchbox, or in her bowl.
Monday came around again.
And just like that, the strawberry was back in her bowl, bright and inviting.
Sheena took a tiny bite.
It was sweet and slightly sour.
And not scary at all.
On Tuesday, the broccoli-tree returned. Sheena took a tiny bite.
It was mushy at the top and a bit crunchy at the bottom.
And not scary at all.
On Wednesday, the mango tasted just like it smelled, sweet and soft.
The magic continued.
Brown rice.
Pumpkin.
Asparagus.
With each bite, Sheena discovered something new.
The smells.
The tastes.
The textures.
Trying new food felt like exploring a tiny, delicious world.
It was fun and exciting and not scary anymore!
Sheena learned that she didn’t have to like every food imaginable; she just had to be willing to try.
Some tasted yummier than others, and she was okay with that.
On Sunday, Sheena sat at the table with a big smile.
She wondered, “What new surprise will be on my plate today?”
Sheena was ready for a food adventure, one curious bite at a time!