Cooking with kids: Children's cookbooks that they'll love to read
I was catching up on my blog reads over the weekend andthis photo of children's books -- cookbooks and books related to food -- over at The Write Start caused me to get misty and sentimental. My kids have always loved to help out in the kitchen and are fully offended if mom starts a cooking project without them. But even when they're not taking over the kitchen counters, they adore their cookbooks and can often be found pouring the pages their favorite culinary-related reads.
As Jennifer from The Write Start says, children's cookbooks help reinforce "the connection between reading, and learning, and doing." Another benefit? Your picky eater might suddenly develop a curious palate and want to try new food.
If you're looking to pick up a children's cookbook (or books about food) to inspire a little chef, check my favorites:
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes (US$12) by Mollie Katzen. When my oldest son was three, he insisted that this be read as his bedtime story for weeks before he even wanted to attempt a cooking project. Chef and restauranteur Mollie Katzen had a class of preschoolers create and test out all of her recipes, so they are absolutely kid friendly and tasty. The illustrations are wonderful; preschoolers and early readers will simply love following the drawings as their recipe guide. If you want an instant win with your kids, try the Popover recipe with some fresh jam.
Salad People and More Real Recipes (US$12) by Mollie Katzen.Salad People is Katzen's second children's cookbook and offers up more of the kid-friendly recipes and drawings that made her first book such a hit. It follows the same format as Pretend Soup in that all the meals are child-tested and approved, but for kids ages five and up. The recipes are a tad more difficult but still easy to follow (with adult supervision, natch). Another instant hit recipe: Tiny Tacos.
Pancakes, Pancakes! ($US8) by Eric Carle. While this Eric Carle classic isn't a cookbook, it will inspire little ones. Pancakes, Pancakes! tells the story of a boy named Jack who wants, um, pancakes for breakfast. It goes on to tell how Jack got all the ingredients for the recipe and how he helped his mom make the meal. The illustrations are fantastic, as you'd expect with any book by Eric Carle. The best part? You and your kid can test out the pancake recipe the mom recites at the end of the story.
Apples for Jam (US$20) by Tessa Kiros. Okay, so this cookbook is for parents who want to cook with their kids. But I guarantee that mini chefs will be enthralled with the gorgeous photos of delish food. I recommend this book to any parent who is eager to cook healthy meals that may push a kid's palate beyond macaroni and cheese and chicken. Buy it for yourself, but know that it will be worn from the love of little readers.
(Photo Credit for stack of books: Jennifer from The Write Start)
