Weekend Cooking: 3 Books for Young Chefs

Are you lucky enough to have young companions in your kitchen? If so, here are three books you can share with them. Though all are geared to kids, adults and teens will enjoy reading these books too. Thanks to the publishers for the review copies.

What's Cooking in Flowerville? by Felicita Sala (Prestel Junior, April 5) is a gorgeous book that takes cooks and gardeners through the course of a year, with one painting and one recipe featuring a seasonal food item for each month. The book starts in the spring with asparagus and a yummy quiche recipe (see scan; click to enlarge). Other months feature pears, cucumbers (with tzatziki), cherries, squash, and herbs (with lemony bean dip).

Though youngsters may need help making the recipes, the dishes are all easy to put together and include steps even the youngest can accomplish, like stirring and adding in ingredients.

The paintings in What's Cooking in Flowerville? show a diverse group of people in terms of both skin color and age and depict the joys of being in nature and growing and harvesting one's own food. The gardens themselves are also diverse; we see balcony trellises, indoor potted herbs, rooftop gardens, backyard fruit trees, and a community pumpkin patch.

The book ends with tips for gardening, harvesting, recycling, and sharing as well as illustrations of seeds, garden tools, and beautiful fruits and vegetables.

What's Cooking in Flowerville? by Felicita Sala is a delight for people of all ages and a great companion to Sala's earlier book, What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street?, which I reviewed a couple of years ago.

Next is another beautifully illustrated book featuring food. Olaf Hajek's Fantastic Fruits, illustrated by Hajek with text by Annette Roeder (Prestel Junior, April 5) is a stunning book that reveals some of the secrets of our favorite foods.

Each two-page spread features a single fruit (see scan). On the left we learn all kinds of interesting facts about the fruit, such as its origins, its growing conditions, and/or how to eat it. Here are few things I learned:

• Some mangoes are called "smelly."
• There are more than 1,000 different kinds of strawberries.
• Melons are closely related to zucchini.
• Peaches have been cultivated since about 6000 BCE.

In addition to this kind of information, Roeder also tells us at least one myth, fable, or legend relating to the fruit. We learn a Hungarian fairy tale about a girl who loved currants, that St. Barbara's Day is celebrated with cherry sprigs, and a Vietnamese story about how a watermelon united a king with his children.

Each fruit profile is accompanied by one of Hajek's paintings. The illustrations are richly colored and enhance the text. If you look carefully, you'll find hints for how to eat or grow the fruit as well as a nod or two to the featured tale or story.

Olaf Hajek's and Annette Roeder's Fantastic Fruits begs to be shared with readers young and old.

The final book is from The Food Magazine: The Recipe-A-Day Kids Cookbook (Hearst Home Kids, April 5). This fun cookbook, for children aged 8 to 12, provides 365 dated recipes to inspire young chefs throughout the year. You can get an idea of some the dishes by looking at the pictures on the book cover.

A number of the recipes are linked to a specific holiday or special day--like ruler cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week and Coconut Rice and Peas for Puerto Rico Constitution Day. Others are simply seasonal--like Banana Caramel S'mores in July and Microwave Apple Crisp in September.

Most of the recipes in Recipe-A-Day Kids Cookbook are for snacks and desserts, though you'll find some fun drinks and salads and even a pizza recipe. The instructions run the gamut from as easy as flavoring popcorn or decorating store-bought doughnuts to a full-fledged soup recipe and from-scratch mini pineapple upside down cakes. The majority of the recipes will catch kids' attention, and the range of difficulty will help you match the right recipes for your young cooks.

The Recipe-A-Day Kids Cookbook isn't just for kids. A number of the recipes will appeal to the whole family. I plan on trying several, such as the breakfast sliders (egg sandwiches), the peach Melba milkshake, the puff pastry tart with berries, and the miniature pimiento cheese balls.

The only way to tell if The Food Magazine's Recipe-A-Day Kids Cookbook is right for your family is to look through it. Note that while a number of international celebrations are included (like Brazilian Independence Day), the book is founded on U.S. holidays and the major Jewish and Christian holidays. (See the scan for three days in April.)

Note: The scans used in the context of a review; all rights remain with the original copyright holders. Any quality issue is on me.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Gift Giving 2019: 3 Great Books for Family Reading

Okay, so how did it get to be the holiday season already? Seriously, it's crazy. But I know some of you are already searching for the perfect book gift for your young readers, and today I have three recommendations.

Each is perfect for any time of the year and deserves a permanent place on your bookshelves, but each is also a great gift idea for whatever holiday you plan to celebrate next month. (Thanks to Media Masters and the publishers for the review copies.)

Into the Deep: An Exploration of Our Oceans by Wolfgang Drever (Prestel Junior, Oct. 8) is beautifully illustrated by Annika Siems. I love serious nonfiction that is geared to younger readers because curious children want to know about the real world. Any kid who is drawn to books about science isn't interested in being talked down to. I was relieved to see that Dreyer, a marine biologist, introduces middle grade readers--and the whole family--to the wonders of the ocean in an engaging way, without making the text too simplified. The book starts out by talking about the tiniest of creatures: plankton. Did you know that some plankton are plants and some are animals? Dreyer's technical text (for example, all about oxygen in the water) is explained and expanded by Siems's detailed and clarifying drawings, which show both marine photosynthesis and how gills work. Dreyer works his way up in size from krill to whales and down in feet from surface life to the ocean bottom. Along the way we learn about  bioluminescence, meet horror-movie-worthy sea creatures, and discover how both prey and victim use camouflage as tools for survival. I had never heard of the ocean floor dwelling tripodfish, but both the illustration and the description caught my attention. Another thing I won't forget: what happens to a whale's carcass when it dies. A note on the art: all the incredible illustrations are oil paintings, some of them "in a really large format," which were photographed for inclusion in the book. Young or old, this is a fantastic book to read and then read again and again.

What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street?: Recipes for Kids from around the World written and illustrated by Felicita Sala (Prestel Junior, Sept. 24). Although the format of this book will remind you of a picture book for very young children, the text and recipes are geared to middle grade readers and beyond. Although I envisioned the story as taking place in New York, the setting could be any big city in any country in world. In fact, the author lives in Italy and the book has appeared in both French and English. The premise is simple: in an older apartment building (see the cover illustration), the members of each family are busy making a meal that reflects their heritage.  On one side of each spread, we see inside one of the apartments as men, women, or children are prepping, cooking, or tasting a dish. Mister Ping makes stir-fried soy broccoli while his nephew taste-tests, Signora Lella makes spaghetti al pomodoro while her cat plays with yarn, Jeremiah makes peanut butter cookies while listening to Tom Waits, and elderly Mrs. Greenpea bakes up some mini quiches. On the facing page is an illustrated recipe so you and/or your kids can make the featured dish. You'll find directions for how to make tomato-y salmorejo, black bean soup, coconut dahl, Mediterranean-inspired meatballs, and much more. I love the expressive drawings, the global recipes, and how the people represent a range of ages and ethnicities. The very last page shows all the tenants gathered together around a large dining table that is set up in the backyard. Everyone is sharing the wonderful food.

Encyclopedia of American Indian History & Culture by Cynthia O'Brien (National Geographic, Oct. 29). I love National Geographic books because I can trust their research, plus their photographs, art, and informative graphics always make the subject matter come alive and grab my attention. This may be advertised as a kids' book, but it's perfect for both adults and teens too. This book features about 160 American Indian tribes (out of many more hundreds) currently living in North America. The book is divided into regions that cover the continent from the Arctic to southern Mexico. Topics include time lines highlighting thousands of years of history, terminology (such as the definition of matrilineal), religious ceremonies, technology, everyday life, contemporary issues (like Standing Rock), and loss of traditional lands. O'Brien and the National Geographic team found historic photographs, drawings, and archaeological artifacts, which are shown alongside images of the ways contemporary American Indians have managed to preserve or revive their spiritual, cultural, and artistic traditions. Not all is romantic: the book discusses the impact of European contact and expansion, the loss of lands, the spread of disease, the introduction of Western religions, and battles and broken treaties. Because this is an encyclopedia, it is not the kind of book you or your kids will read in one sitting. I recommend starting with the region where you live; you might be surprised at how much you'll learn. This would make a wonderful gift for anyone who wants to know more about the people who lived and thrived in North American long before all of us immigrants arrived on its shores.

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Weekend Cooking: 20 Recipes Kids Should Know by Esme Washburn

I have a fairly short cookbook review for today, but short in words doesn't equal short on love. This is a cookbook that you might consider for yourself, your kids, or your recent college grad.

To jump to the chase: Esme Washburn's 20 Recipes Kids Should Know (Prestel Junior, April 2) may be my new go-to gift for inexperienced home cooks. Personally, I'd change the title of this book to 20 recipes everyone should know, but that's just me.

This cookbook was written by Esme Washburn, a 12-year-old expert chef (and writer), and the photographs were taken by her very talented 17-year-old sister, Calista Washburn. Despite the age of the authors, there is nothing amateur about this book.

Heck, Esme makes her own pasta! And pizza dough and bread and black bean soup (from dried beans). The cooks (of any age) who master the recipes in 20 Recipes Kids Should Know would be well-equipped to feed themselves and their family and friends better than most.

The recipes are classic standards: mac and cheese, pancakes, steak, roasted vegetables, apple pie, chocolate cake, Dijon vinaigrette (and the salad to go with), and omelets. The directions are easy to follow, and I love the personal notes Esme added to introduce each recipe.

Besides the solid recipes, I absolutely loved the photographs. I need a Calista in my house. I rarely photograph my food, because--frankly--I'm not very good at it.

Recommendation: For any new cook of any age and for any experienced cook who wants to brush up on some basics. I would have loved to have had a copy of Esme Washburn's 20 Recipes Kids Should Know when my niece and nephews were young; it would have been so much fun and yummy to help them cook their way through this book. (Thanks to Media Masters for the review copy.)

NOTE: Because there are only 20 recipes in this book, I'm going to pass on sharing one. Although it's within the rules of copyright to share text (and photos) in the context of a review, I feel that even just one recipe would represent a fairly large percentage of the book, pushing the fair-use rules.

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Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
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