Best Cookbooks for Children

If your kids are like my grandkids, they don’t just like to eat-they like to cook. So, how does a parent safely teach cooking skills to a two year old? This is a dilemma that many parents are faced with. It isn’t enough, for those interested, to sit idly by and watch mommy make supper. Toddlers are inquisitive and mimic their parents in everything they do. It is part of their developmental stages of growth. One day they will become adolescents-another stage of their growth; only this one is where rejection of everything you do will rule. So, my advice to parents, young, and old alike is to enjoy the attention and bonding while it lasts. You may just have the next Emeril or Julia in your home.

There are hundreds of children’s cookbooks in libraries, bookstores and online, to help you in your role as teacher and culinary supervisor. After viewing many of these books I realized that there are a few categories that cookbooks for kids fall into: well known household names, such as Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Better Homes and Gardens; television celebrity chefs, such as Rachel Ray, Emeril, or Paula Deen; famous characters, like Dora, Sesame Street, and Barbie; and other cookbooks that are just great books to teach new cooking skills.

There are hundreds of children’s cookbooks in libraries, bookstores and online, to help you in your role as teacher and culinary supervisor. After viewing many of these books I realized that there are a few categories that cookbooks for kids fall into: well known household names, such as Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Better Homes and Gardens; television celebrity chefs, such as Rachel Ray, Emeril, or Paula Deen; famous characters, like Dora, Sesame Street, and Barbie; and other cookbooks that are just great books to teach new cooking skills.

With the plethora of cookbooks to choose from how does one select a cookbook that is appealing, easy to use, and loaded with great recipes? I selected several for these reasons: the colorful photographs; the simplicity of the instructions; the addition of ‘how-to’ or other helpful tips; interesting recipes; or the intriguing title. Here are my selections:

DK Children’s Cookbook by Katharine Ibbs is a kid friendly, brightly photographed cookbook with step by step instructions; plus tips for kitchen safety.

The Children’s Quick and Easy Cookbook , by Angela Wilkes, is also a high quality, well photographed and easy to follow cookbook published by DK.

The Everything Kids’ Cookbook by Sandra K Nissenberg. Nissenberg is a registered dietician, who specializes in child nutrition. The book presents a full range of foods from the food pyramid; along with a chapter on special occasions, such as Valentine pizza, and a Fourth of July cake. Plus, there are food related crafts and activities. Another point I like about this book is the rating scale of each recipe, which depicts the level of difficulty.

Cooking with Children, by Marion Cunningham, is a cookbook aimed at the ‘serious’ future chef, and is filled with a progression of cooking lessons. One drawback I found from this book was the age. Published in 1995 it does not appear to have had any revised editions.

Dora and Diego, Let’s Cook, by Nickelodeon is a cookbook for Dora fans. Both English and Spanish terms are used throughout and there are plenty of photos. My four year old granddaughter and two year old grandson love Dora and her friend Diego as well as helping mom in the kitchen. I would consider buying this book for them.

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, by Dinah Bucholz, is filled with a sampling of the foods introduced in the many Harry Potter books.

For a complete review of this book visit hubber, SweetMarie83 and read her hub:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cookbook-Review-The-Unofficial-Harry-Potter-CookBook-by-Dinah-Bucholz

The last two books that I felt would be worthy of mentioning and adding to my cookbook collection focuses on geographical cuisine.

The United States Cookbook, by Joan D’Amico, is an absolute gem. It has recipes from the four regions of the United States, as well as quick facts about the individual states of the region.

Passport on a Plate by Diane Simone Vezzon and Susan Greenstein, is a cookbook focusing on foods from around the world.  The authors add interesting facts about the country. 

When my grandson, Marco, began helping his mother with meals, and could accurately identify different flavors and herbs in dishes she was making, similar to Remy, the epicurean rat in the Disney movie Ratatouille , she enrolled him in a class for budding chefs. This interactive, hands on class provided them with cooking lessons and a can of Campbell’s soup with a personalized label at the completion of the class. He is now seven and still enjoys being the food critic in the home. If you find that your child takes a real interest in cooking there are children’s franchised cooking schools nationwide, such as Batter Up, Kids, or the Young Chefs Academy. Check out the ones in your neighborhood and register your child for a class.

With so much support to teach your child to cook there is hardly an excuse not to let her into the kitchen. As your child acquires and practices this skill she will be serving you a meal or two. Bon Appetit!