From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-Kids, and adults who cook with them, will enjoy this collection of over 100 recipes, arranged by categories such as "Soups and Chilis"; "Salads and Vegetables"; "Pasta, Noodles, Rice and Grains"; etc. All have simple, step-by-step instructions, call for commonly available ingredients, and range in difficulty from boiled rice to sushi and shepherd's pie. The author rates the level of skill required for each dish, so budding chefs can build their skills along with their repertoire. Old standards such as meatloaf and tuna-noodle casserole are here, and for more adventurous and ambitious cooks, vegetarian, Middle-Eastern, Japanese, Mexican, and Indian dishes are also included. The index lists individual recipes and major ingredients. Black-and-yellow cartoons add a bit of levity. The biggest drawback of the book is the placement of the metric measurements for ingredients in the left margin while the more commonly used U.S. Imperial measurements are listed to the right of the ingredients. This makes the book easy to use in Canadian homes, where the recipes were developed, but it's a bit confusing for U.S. kitchens. While not elaborately illustrated like Deanna Cook's Disney's Family Cookbook (Hyperion, 1996), this inviting and well-organized book stands up well when compared with Mollie Katzen's Honest Pretzels (Tricycle, 1999) and the American Heart Association Kids' Cookbook (Times, 1993).
Leslie Millrod, Westhampton Free Library, NY Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The book's format is kid-friendly, with large print and cartoon art, but many of the numerous recipes are quite grown-up. The book begins with an introduction that includes safety tips, cooking terms, and an illustrated guide to utensils. The recipes range from the truly simple (scrambled eggs, blended drinks, and grilled cheese sandwiches) to the more adventurous--crepes, chicken stock, salmon teriyaki, and carrot cake. Each recipe includes cooking time, number of servings, and level of difficulty. The list of utensils appears in a yellow band of color, and each recipe is given step-by-step. Although it doesn't seem likely many kids will be interested in rolling their own sushi, there is still plenty for novices, experts, and the bulk of kids in between.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
