Paula Deen's My First Cookbook [Hardcover-spiral]

Paula Deen (Author), Susan Mitchell (Illustrator), Martha Nesbit (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2008 | Age Level: 4 and up

One of America's most beloved cooks, Food Network personality and restaurateur, Paula Deen invites you to share in her favorite dishes and memories from childhood in this delightful cookbook for the very young.

What better way to celebrate childhood than with pancakes around the kitchen table? Or how about a quick snack of Ants on a Log? Paula even shares her tricks for whipping up the perfect breakfast in bed for Mom on Mother's Day or a fancy dinner for Dad on Father's Day. Paula Deen's My First Cookbook is like a big hug from the queen of Southern hospitality and charm herself. So get in the kitchen with your favorite little ones today and start making those memories!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—While this cookbook is less chatty than one might expect from the well-known television personality, it opens with a host of tips. It includes safety information, followed by an illustrated glossary of cooking terms, directions on how to measure ingredients, instructions on how to set a table, and a page devoted to good table manners. Nine chapters cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, birthdays, adult-oriented dishes, holidays, and drinks, with the last one devoted to nonedible food-craft recipes. The illustrated items list can assist those with limited reading skills who find negotiating the step-by-step instructions challenging. Adult assistance is often called for. The dishes use numerous premade or prepackaged ingredients (refrigerator biscuits, peanut butter, diced tomatoes, M&Ms, etc.). Nutritional information is not provided. Watercolor illustrations of ingredients, finished dishes, and children at work are numerous and each page is framed with a colorful pattern. While the spiral format may shorten this book's shelf life, it will facilitate use for the youngest chefs.—Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Yeshiva Har Torah, Little Neck, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Paula Deen is the bestselling author of twelve books and an Emmy Award–winning Food Network television star. She was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she started The Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. She also co-owns Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House with her brother. Paula publishes a bimonthly magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, and is a regular guest on QVC, where she sells her books and food products.

Martha Nesbit is a cookbook writer and food columnist for Savannah Magazine. She has been featured on HGTV's "Thanksgiving Across America" special and on Food Network's Food Nation with Bobby Flay. She lives on the beautiful Isle of Hope in Savannah, Georgia, with her husband, Gary, her sons Zack and Emory, and her dachshund, Lucy.

Susan Mitchell is originally from Scotland, where she studied drawing and painting at the Edinburgh College of Art. In 1993, she moved to Montreal, where now lives with her husband and son while working as a freelance commercial illustrator. (Susan has designedmore Christmas cards than Santa has whiskers.) She also illustrated Paula Deen's My First Cookbook.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover-spiral: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416950338
• ISBN-13: 978-1416950332
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Cooking
  • #73 in Books > Children's Books > Cooking with Kids

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Know what you will be getting..., November 9, 2008

By 

wogan "the book reader" - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Paula Deen's My First Cookbook (Hardcover-spiral)

We really looked forward to Paula Deen's cookbook coming out. My grandson is just starting to try to cook. We just expected more out of the cookbook she would publish. We found many frustrations. The main one being no photographs of the finished dishes. My grandson said, " I can't tell what it's supposed to look like" - for stuffed shells there was just a drawing with a yellow blob in the dish, or for Haystacks - what are they supposed to look like? We sure couldn't tell. The lists of things needed for each recipe is good. Many of the recipes are very very basic, such as Ants on a Log.. Put peanut butter in celery add raisins, now you got ants on a log. There are recipes to make pretzels, which again could do with a diagram on how to fold the dough to make a pretzel, it would be a help to first time cooks. We were just disappointed with a book that we thought would be more instructive help for first time kids trying to learn how to cook

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very kid friendly, October 8, 2008

By 

A.D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paula Deen's My First Cookbook (Hardcover-spiral)

Paula's personality shows in this cookbook for kids. I think it is very practical for kids that are familiar in the kitchen and even for youger ones with help. I love the recipes in here. They are practical and its not complicated. I look forward to having this book in my collection for years to come.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Make It Healthier..., November 21, 2008

By 

P. Gould (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paula Deen's My First Cookbook (Hardcover-spiral)

First, the one big downside: Far too many of these recipes are unnecessarily unhealthy. While some foods *should* be made with butter, adding lots of butter to the inside of a chicken pot pie (to name just one example) is unnecessary. Cream cheese, butter, various types of canned dough and sugar play major parts in many of the recipes.

I know, I'm from the South, too, and that's how it's done. But, with all the diet-related health problems our children are facing today--why not teach kids to make yummy foods that will nourish their body for a lifetime? I find that children are very likely to eat what they've cooked, so cooking together is a great way to improve your child's eating habits.

Fortunately, so far we've found the many of the recipes fairly easy to improve by using healthier fats, whole grains, etc. Knowing how to make recipes healthier is an important skill to teach kids, and this book provides that opportunity.

Now, the upsides: So far, everything we've made has been delicious and the book is easy to use. The size and shape is perfect, the pictures are cute and book lies flat on the counter. We also had good luck drying off a page that was dribbled on. Another big plus is that the reading level is just right for my 2nd grader. She loves studying the table of contents in each section (dinner, lunch, etc.) when deciding what to make. It's also nice that most of the directions are very simple to understand. And I appreciate that she tells the kids when the adult needs to do something that would be unsafe for a child to do.

Overall, this cookbook is cute way to get your early elementary aged child interested in cooking...and a great way to introduce the concept of changing recipes to make them healthier.

Pamela Gould

Author of Feeding the Kids: The Flexible, No-Battles, Healthy Eating System for the Whole Family (Fork and Spoon Field Guides) (Fork and Spoon Field Guides)