Based on Delia Ephron's best-selling book of the same name, and adapted for television by Judith Kahan with music and lyrics by John Forster, the one-hour special, through a series of comedy skits and songs, lampoons the adult world through the eyes of children.

Several of the special's young performers would subsequently go on to achieve child stardom in their own right, most notably Corey Feldman, Billy Jacoby and Georg Olden.

As the "guest adult", Van Dyke seeks admission to the secret world of children and persuades a group of 15 singing and dancing kids to guide him on a wry and whimsical trip through childhood.

), "How to Understand Parents" ("We'll see" means "no", "Not now" means "no", "Ask your father" means "no"...), "How to Laugh Hysterically" (a young Corey Feldman makes prank phone calls and cracks juvenile jokes before hanging up), "How to Act After Being Sent to Your Room" ("With nothing but my private stereo media center to keep me distracted, I think they overreacted..."), "How to Beg for a Dog" (Billy Jacoby playing opposite Judith Kahan's real-life stepson's four-legged friend, "Bandit"), "How to Torture Your Sister" (a quartet of boys antagonizing their female siblings), "How to Deal with Injustice" (having to walk to the candy store when the adults can just get in a car and drive), "How to Practice the Violin" (a pre-adolescent Georg Olden transforms into rock-star Mick Jagger after growing tired of practicing his violin), and the big finale number, "How to Refuse to Go to Sleep".

[1][2][3][4][5] A couple of the numbers take on more serious issues that children face, including "How to Wait" (a segment which depicts a youngster impatiently waiting to be picked up at a bus stop, while addressing a child's anxieties and fears about being left alone), and "The Kid Inside" (a song in which Van Dyke provides an adult's perspective as he confides in the youngsters that children aren't the only ones to experience sadness and disappointment when one of their prized possessions is damaged and/or destroyed).

Produced by MTM Enterprises, Kahan worked on the script for a year, while competing with Walt Disney Productions, which had wanted to adapt the book as an animated cartoon.

"[1][2][3][4][5] "How to Eat" received largely positive reviews from critics, who commended everything from the insightful writing to the witty songs, as well as the special's talented young performers.

"[3] Associated Press television writer Fred Rothenberg was less impressed with the network's attempt at a prime-time musical for children, writing "This is the kind of thing Public Broadcasting's Sesame Street and The Electric Company win awards for.

They seemed to enjoy watching the kids on the screen, but the musical variety nature of the program, the hook for adults in prime time, was lost on them completely."