Some of my best childhood memories are of spending time cooking and baking with family members. I’m not sure how helpful I actually was, but at the time I thought I was saving the day when I ran into the kitchen with my little apron, chef hat and plastic spatula. I can’t remember many cooking shows on tv but I don’t know if any could have held a candle to Pasquale’s Kitchen. I can remember my very first kid’s cookbook, My First Cookbook by Rena Coyle, and wanting to try out each recipe. Perhaps the beginning of a future culinary career, or maybe just impatient, curious and always hungry!
Kids these days have many more options when they begin to take an interest in cooking and baking; our shelves are full of fun and age appropriate cookbooks for kids of all ages. These are some of our awesome character based kids cookbooks:
C is for Cooking, Recipes from the Street by Susan McQuillan
This book is great not only for recipes like Easy Cheesy Waffles, Grover’s Chicken and Couscous with Juice-Juice and Oscar’s Quick Dip in the Mud but before you dive into the recipes there are notes about related topics such as nutrition, safety and allergies. One great feature of this book is that each recipe contains at least one highlighted task that can be done by a young child. This is not only a helping hand for parents, but it also gives kids a task they can look forward to performing. And of course I have to mention that the book is filled with everyone’s favourite Sesame Street characters.
Pinkalicious Cupcake Cookbook by Victoria Kann
Even as a trained pastry chef I had no idea you could do so many things with a cupcake! The book only has a few recipes at the beginning, but it’s these cupcakes that are used throughout the book to make star wands, castles, Christmas trees, snowmen and so many other cute confections. This book would be a fantastic foundation for a Pinkalicious themed birthday or tea party.
Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook by Georgeanna Brennan
How could any children’s book review be done without including Dr. Seuss? I’m not actually sure what to say about this book other than it’s fantastic! Of course I haven’t actually tried any of the recipes yet, but my to-make list includes Blueberry Bumplings with a side of Glunker Stew (but please hold the oysters), Cat in the Hat Tub Cake, Cindy-Lou Who-Wreaths and of course Who-Roast Beast. Each recipe is accompanied by a picture of the corresponding book and most include a quote from the book. While the recipes range from simple to more advanced each recipe has at least one small task that a child can complete on their own or with minimal adult help.
Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes by Roald Dahl
This was one book that I did not browse for very long, due to rather unappetizing titles and pictures, but I’m sure most Dahl fans would disagree. They might even enjoy Snozzcumbers, Mosquitoe’s Toes and Wampfish Roes Most Delicately Fried, Mr. Twit’s Beard Food and Stink Bugs’ Eggs. I have to give credit where it is due and say that although the titles (and often pictures) are not the most appealing the book is very well done and does a great job of following Dahl’s characters and storylines.
These are just four of the many kids cookbooks we have waiting for you on our shelves. So next time you have a hankering for Yots in Pots, Big Bird’s Spaghetti Pie, Fresh Mud Burgers or for a Teeny Tiny Pinky Cupcake or just have a kid interested in exploring the kitchen, you know where to turn.
Chelsea Cernjul-Marsonet
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