Grade 3-5. A good general cookbook for beginners. Eighty-three recipes with fancy names?"Ooey-Gooey Microwave S'Mores" or "Mama Mia's Spaghetti with Meat Sauce"?are really familiar dishes that children usually like. The recipes are grouped into categories: beverages, breakfast, breads, snacks, lunch, soups and salads, dinner with meat, vegetables and grains, and dessert. Each recipe is presented on one page with a short, sprightly introduction; number of servings; a list of ingredients (with very few prepared foods and mixes included); a list of utensils; numbered, clearly written directions, illustrated with helpful black-and-white line drawings; and a general cooking tip. Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book (Meredith, 1989) and Angela Wilkes's The Children's Step-by-Step Cookbook (DK, 1994) are comparable cookbooks illustrated with full-color photographs.?Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. From milk shakes and "ants on a log" to beans and weenies and grilled cheese, the emphasis is on fun in this collection of proven kid pleasers. Jolly cartoons, mostly just for laughs, decorate the recipes, which feature an appealing, sturdy roundup of familiar drinks, breakfast dishes, sandwiches, snacks, and desserts. There are also a few simple-to-fix main dishes and veggies. Some of the recipes are simple enough for beginners (making a fruit kabob), but kids with prior kitchen experience will do the best when it comes to understanding special techniques (like "folding" or "cooking until set"), which aren't always adequately explained. The use of sharp implements and hot pots, which Brown addresses in a note to adults, suggests that an adult should be nearby. The introductions to the recipes are snappy but generally a waste of space; the cooking tips are helpful but poorly placed at the bottom of the page. Stephanie Zvirin
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