There are a surprisingly large number of cookbooks for children available at libraries and bookstores. After looking through a great many children's cookbooks, I found some children's cookbooks that I think are especially good. They are well designed, provide information in a clear sequential manner and many provide photographs or sketches for each recipe. You may be surprised at how eager your kids are to learn to cook and how helpful they can be when they have a good cookbook to follow.
1. Simply in Season Children's Cookbook
Herald Press
The emphasis in this coockbook is on the seasons and good foods that can be grown and enjoyed from the garden. Simply in Season Children's Cookbook is organized into four sections by season, beginning with spring. “Simply in Season Children's Cookbook” is one of the most visually appealing cookbooks I have ever seen, with lots of vivid colors, large color photographs, and attractive design elements that give added appeal to the foods and recipes highlightedThe recipes themselves are easy to follow and have been taste-tested by both children and parents. This is an excellent cookbook, one the whole family will enjoy using. (Herald Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780836193367)
2. Cookbook - Emeril's There's A Chef in My Soup!
Chef Emeril's cookbook for kids and families is subtitled "Recipes for the Kid in Everyone." The book's clever illustrations, which incorporate photos of Emeril's face, create a mood of fun. The first 30 pages of the 242-page cookbook cover kitchen rules, tools, and safety. Then there are recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus special sections on pizza and pasta, vegetables, salads and desserts. Recipes range from Sweet Potato-Praline Marshmallow Casserole to Lean Mean Turkey Loaf. (HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN: 9780688177065)
3. Salad People and More Real Recipes: A New Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up
The 20 recipes focusing on fruits and vegetables include Salad People, Tiny Tacos, and Counting Soup. Each recipe features quotations from preschoolers, safety tips, and a detailed recipe, followed by two pages of small drawings illustrating each step. This is a terrific cookbook to use to introduce children who are not yet old enough to read to the joys of healthy eating. Author Mollie Katzen also wrote “Pretend Soup” and “Moosewood Cookbook.” (Tricycle Press, 2005. ISBN: 9781582461410)4. The Kids' Cookbook
This colorful and beautifully designed Williams-Sonama cookbook will appeal to adults as well as children ages nine and up. It is divided into four sections: Breakfast and Lunch, Snacks, Main Dishes and Side Dishes, and Desserts. The covered wire spine makes it easy to keep the cookbook open. In addition to the glossary of terms and ingredients, there is an illustrated equipment glossary. The numbered steps make the recipes easy to follow, as do the photographs. (Oxmoor, 2000. ISBN:0848726073)5. Children's Cookbooks Based on Favorite Children's Books
These children's cookbooks all contain recipes based on foods mentioned in favorite children's books. These include childrejn's cookbooks based on the "Boxcar Children" mysteries, the "Little House" series, "The Chronicles of Narnia," books by Roald Dahl, and others.6. Better Homes & Gardens New Junior Cookbook
Each recipe in this cookbook is illustrated with a color photograph that looks good enough to eat. The book starts with the basics: measuring, kitchen safety, menu planning, equipment, setting the table, health and nutrition. Then, there are recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, dessert, and holidays. There is also a section for parents. Recipes emphasize kids' favorites, like hamburgers, french fries, pizza, lasagne, chicken, chili, and tacos. (Meredith, 1997. ISBN: 0696207087)7. The United States Cookbook
As the subtitle states, this children’s cookbook contains recipes for “Fabulous Food and Fascinating Facts from All 50 States.” For each state, there’s a map, illustrations of several state symbols, information about the state, fun food facts about the state, plus a recipe related to the state. Recipes include key lime pie from Florida and Swedish meatballs from Minnesota. The cookbook also contains sections on cooking skills and safety rules. (John Wiley & Sons, 2000. ISBN: 0471358398)8. Children's Quick & Easy Cookbook
For each recipe, DK Publishing's cookbook includes photos of all of the ingredients, as well as photos of each step in the preparations and a photo of the finished product. This book is particularly good for visual learners and children who are not yet reading fluently. It includes kitchen rules, recipes for snacks, meals, and sweets, and a picture glossary. In addition to American favorites, there are recipes for Chinese, French, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and North African dishes.9. The Cooking Book
Subtitled "50 Meals and Sensational Snacks," this cookbook by Jane Bull is easy to follow. Photos accompany the step-by-step instructions for each recipe, and there are also large photographs of the finished products. After the first section on kitchen rules and tools, there's a wonderful section titled Play Dough on shaping bread dough into funny faces, then baking and eating it. Other sections include Popcorn, Pick and Mix Soup, Rainbow Cakes, and Fruit. (DK Children, 2002. ISBN: 0789488345)10. Easter Cooking
This very colorful Usborne Activities book is more than just a children’s cookbook. It also includes Easter gift wrapping ideas and directions for hard boiling and decorating eggs using wax crayons, stickers, rubber bands (to create stripes), and food coloring. There are step-by-step directions for more than a dozen Easter treats. These include sticky Easter muffins, chocolate nests, and cheesy chicks. (EDC Publishing, 2003. ISBN: 9780794504120)What are some of the children's cookbooks you recommend?
Have you used any of the children's cookbooks on the list above? Are there others you and your children particularly like? Share your recommendations on the About Children's Books Forum.
