Customer Reviews

Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids: Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun

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"So Much More Than A Cookbook", a statement on the back cover of "Cooking Around the Calendar With Kids", is an accurate description of this delightful source book. The introduction explains the reasons for our food choices including weather, holidays, location, harvest times, and family traditions. The author uses the simple means of cooking to incorporate a variety of important skills for children. These skills range from learning about healthy eating, kitchen safety, sports nutrition and the changing seasons to spending quality time with family members (including dad!). Children are taught to give of themselves (while also raising self esteem) by making simple holiday food gifts such as honey butter, spice mix, soup mix, or chocolate chip cookies in a jar. Each page is 'jam packed' with simple, healthy recipes and wonderful ideas. This book is a valuable resource for anyone in contact with young children whether a child care provider, parent, grandparent or next door neighbor.

P.S. Click on "See all editorial reviews... " above for more info. ;-)

Amy Houts has given us a guidebook for involving our children in cooking and preparing food. The book provides hands-on activities to help teach children be grateful for the marvelous gift of food.

The book provides a variety of mouth watering recipes, instructions, and valuable background information on the origin of holidays, customs, and family tradition. Material is arranged in order of the four seasons. Within each season the author also considers weather, holidays, location, harvest, and family traditions.

I especially appreciated the pointers and tips on a variety of subjects including: safety in the kitchen, table manners, back to school breakfast ideas, lunch box ideas, a cookie baking exchange party, simple holiday gifts from the kitchen, creating invitations and telephone etiquette when planning an event, guidelines for athletes, and many more.

The book is particularly timely in this day when there is a national concern for the rising problem of obesity among children. The suggestions in this book offer an alternative to fast food diets, and encourage nutritional awareness among family members. Another positive result of these activities is the quality time parent spends with their child in accomplishing meaningful tasks together.

"Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids" has received the `Book Achievement Merit Award' from the Midwest Independent Publishing Association and is highly acclaimed by experts in the field of child development, children's nutrition, and children's literature. This is an excellent book for parents, grandparents, and a good choice for gift giving on any special occasion.

Theme: Kids experiencing cooking and a helpful hand.

Thesis: Cooking with Children is about sharing food and fun, establishing traditions within the family, and cherishing the moments spent together in all seasons of the years (holidays) and cooking (with kids).

Author: Amy Houts

The author conveys and recommends family recipes that children and family members would enjoy seasonally. The author succeeded and presents evidence to support this evaluation. Information about food safety, as well as safety in the kitchen is included. Pictures/illustrations are included with a few writings (history) about the holidays that children will then become educated. The layout, copy, as well as the size of the book is relevant to what attracts readers. It aids in understanding, sharing, cherishing, and passing on traditions to your children.
(Images Publishing.)

This book is so interesting, and I even learned things about foods that I didn't know! I was looking for ideas for holidays, especially with Summer just around the corner. This book helps kids not only by explaining foods, but also the history behind using certain foods for certain holidays. It is overall a very good book, and I would recommend it to any parent whose children are interested in helping with the cooking!

Recent statistics say that the nuclear fam-ily rarely shares meals, but we all have to eat, don't we? Why not get the kids involved in the meal preparation? Houts covers the seasons with simple and fun recipes that turn every day into a holiday celebration, including nutrition, food presentation, and kitchen safety.