THE BOOK LIST: "Read-n-Feed!"
Here's a moderate serving of a few books you can check out, & then after reading the story, eat the food (recipes included)!
Bee-bim Bop! By Linda Sue Park & Ho Baek Lee
Check out this fun book of repetitive rhyme about a child helping her mom cook a favorite dish to share with their family. Afterward, you can use the recipe at the end of the book to make together & share a special dinner in your own household!
Big Jimmy’s Kum Kau Chinese Takeout by Ted Lewin
Jimmy describes all of the action as his family works hard to make and sell food for their customers--but what is JIMMY'S favorite thing to eat? A delicious twist ends this beautifully realistically-illustrated book.
Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende & Harry Devlin (and all of the Devlin’s other “Cranberry” titles)
Cook-a-Doodle Doo! by Janet Steven & Susan Stevens Crummel
Fans of the Little Red Hen will be interested to learn that great-grandson is a baker, as well. Rooster has a lot of help—but it is not necessarily helpful help. The story is funny, there are a lot of lessons about kitchens & cooking along the way, and there’s a tasty recipe at the end.
The Empenadas that Abuela Made by Diane Gonzales Bertrand & Alex Pardo DeLange: A cumulative tale that reads a lot like "The House the Jack Built," but with a delicious, family-oriented twist! Those pumpkin empenadas sound great.
Everybody Bakes Bread, Everybody Cooks Rice, and more “Everybody” books by Norah Dooley
Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literacy Cookbook for Young Readers & Eaters
by Jane Yolen, Heidi E.Y. Stemple, & Philippe Béha
Read Jack & the Beanstalk—and then make “Jack’s Magic Party Beans!” The story of Snow White includes Snow’s recipe for baked apples, and there’s a whole picnic basket of recipes to accompany Little Red Riding Hood!
The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck & Barry Root: An old Russian folktale about a turnip gets turned into an American story about a family who gardens together, dreaming of what they will cook once they are able to grow something. Carrot pudding, anyone?
The Greatest Potatoes by Penelope Stowell & Sharon Watts: a fictionalized but fun account of the invention of the potato chip (it all started with a difficult restaurant patron & a tempramental chef) that culminates in the opportunity for you & the kids to create some fresh homemade junk food--they'll love it!
Green Corn Tamales by Gina Macaluso Rodriguez & Gary Shepard: the "secret ingredient" makes this storybook recipe better than most I've tried from actual cookbooks!
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
By Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz & Meilo So
This book compiled by the Children’s Museum of Boston has got just about everything: fun traditional stories, crafts, recipes, backgrounds on several holiday festivals, and even additional resources & a guide to Chinese pronunciation. Like all of my recent finds listed here, it’s great for either home or the classroom.
Pancakes for Supper by Anne Isaacs & Mark Teague: a funny animal story, followed by a recipe for animal pancakes.
The Pizza That We Made by Joan Holub
Pizza at Sally's by Monica Wellington: a simple story ends with a simple pizza recipe
Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin: A little girl wishes her mom would plant beautiful flowers like their neighbors. When the ugly vegetables become soup, though, it's the neighbors who want to trade! Includes ugly vegetable soup recipe.
In addition to these books which actually contain recipes, of course you can read books that feature a meal or party scene, and recreate the menu at home (if you try your own version of Gary Soto’s Too Many Tamales, be sure to keep your diamond rings safely out of the way)—or have a party where everyone brings a dish from a favorite book. What DOES “Who Pudding” look and taste like? Try asking your local children’s librarian for more storybooks with recipes, or family-friendly cookbooks—and remember that cooking is not just frustrating (I meant to write FUN), it’s SCIENCE! Another book you can read and eat your way through is Science Experiments You Can Eat by Vicki Cobb, and it’s tastier than it sounds.
