Whether your child is a budding chef or just wants to help out in the kitchen, there are plenty of kid-oriented cookbooks. Older children will be able to create many of these recipes on their own while younger children will be able to help with many aspects of the preparation.
Salad People and More Real Recipes: A New Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up: Author Mollie Katzen offers fun recipes (such as Salad People and Counting Soup) that focus on fruits and vegetables. Each recipe features two pages of small drawing s illustrating each step so even nonreaders will be able to follow along. Katzen is also the author of Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes and Moosewood Cookbook.
Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook is a must for Dr. Seuss lovers of all ages. Every recipe is based on one of Dr. Seuss’ books. Fun and whacky recipes are divided into six sections: breakfast, beverages, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert.
The Storybook Cookbook features 22 recipes based on food enjoyed by favorite storybook characters. Each recipe includes a summary of the story along with a quotation that relates to the recipe. Among the books included are The Wizard of Oz, Little Women, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Heidi, Swiss Family Robinson, and Little House on the Prairie.
Emeril’s There’s a Chef in My Soup!: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone includes recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner accompanied by whimsical illustrations incorporating photo’s of Emeril to create a fun approach to cooking. The book begins with a primer on kitchen rules and safety and an overview of kitchen tools. There are also special sections on pizza and pasta, vegetables, salads and desserts.
Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals for Kids features photos and drawings for each recipe. Recipes are targeted for specific ages ranging from 4 to 10.
The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Food and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States teaches geography along with offering a sampling of foods from across the United States. Along with recipes related to each state, children will learn fun food facts, state information and state symbols. Maps reinforce geography skills, and there are also sections on safety and cooking skills.
Children’s Quick & Easy Cookbook offers a range of recipes including Chinese, French, Middle Eastern, Mexican and North African cuisine along with more traditional American foods. This highly visual cookbook includes photos of the ingredients, step-by-step photos of the preparation, and a photo of the finished food. The book includes recipes for snacks, meals and sweets along with kitchen rules and a picture glossary.
The Kid’s Cookbook has more than 40 kid-friendly recipes. The spiral bound book is easy to use and explains classic cooking techniques with lots of photos.
