From Barnes & Noble
Teaching kids to learn kitchen skills can be the entrée for decades and decades of cooking pleasure. Paula Deen's hospitable ways have not only made her a bestselling author; they have also gently nurtured the cooking skills of thousands of youngsters and adults. With almost 200 pages of recipes and instructions, this spiral-bound hardcover is a family treasure with many continuing returns.
Publishers Weekly
Paula Deen's second cookbook for kids organizes recipes according to occasions that might occur during the school year (a sleepover, a Christmas party). In addition to the recipes, Dean offers suggestions (“[a bake sale] is a great way to raise quick cash for a good cause”) and personal reflections (“Fondue parties were all the rage when I was much, much younger”), while sections on manners and cooking lessons include more tips. Clearly labeled ingredients and tools make the preparations comprehensible, and the illustrations of friends and family give the book an inviting feel. Ages 7–up. (Sept.)
Children's Literature
- Gwynne Spencer
From the eye-popping end papers of this lay-flat (internal coil bindings are pretty spiffy if you ask me) cookbook, kids will savor each page right up to the index at the end. Every double page spread has a graphic border that will entice young cooks to sample the recipes with their eyes while cooking up delicious treats. From the same team that produced Paula Deen's My First Cookbook, this handsome hardcover volume is sure to get lots of use. Starting with Cooking Tips, and a Glossary (how sensible to put it at the front of the book!) and a nifty section on how to measure different kinds of ingredients (sounds trivial but the little pictures are really great instructional tools to show kids how to deal with liquids, spices, flour, brown sugar and butter) the chapters each include seven or eight recipes. Chapter One: Morning Muffins encourages kids to make different kinds of breakfast muffins to swap and enjoy. Chapter Two: The Bake Sale has best-selling goodies most kids will be able to manage. Chapter Three: Pool Party is a Mexican fiesta with salsa, enchiladas, chili, even sopapillas. Chapter Four: What's New for Lunch features salad, pasta primavera, wraps, quiche and sandwiches. Chapter Five: A Sleepover offers fondues, smoothies, and breakfast cheesecake. Chapter Six: The Family Cooking Night introduces a new tradition that Deen feels very passionate about. Chapter Seven: Christmas Cooking Party includes cookies, truffles, and breads. Chapter Eight: The Family Picnic Menu features deviled eggs, potato salad, sandwiches, brownies and cookies. Chapter Nine: Mother's Day and Father's Day offers popovers, meatloaf, biscuits, frittata and more. Every chapter starts with a section onManners because Deen feels that kids want to know how to be the best they can be. Each chapter also includes a cooking lesson of some kind. Best of all in this terrific cookbook, the ingredients list on the left hand page of each two-page recipe has little pictures of the ingredient as well as the measure needed. Never again will kids confuse baking soda with baking powder! Deen also uses brand names in the ingredients list when it seems sensible, which I find refreshingly forthright. The index concludes this highly recommended cookbook that not only would be a great classroom activity guide for teachers brave enough to cook with kids, but a treasured gift for kids of all ages. It never speaks down to them or attempts to be cute and chummy (like the Sandra Lee cookbook for kids) but offers youngsters the honest opportunity to enjoy cooking and try new recipes. Readers can "Meet the Author" and illustrator and find activities at Kids.simonandschuster.com. Reviewer: Gwynne Spencer
School Library Journal
Gr 3–6—This colorful and slick offering is divided into nine chapters, most focusing on dishes for specific events like bake sales, family picnics, and sleepovers. Brief general cooking tips are also included, along with advice on manners relating to various foods (as Deen notes in a foreword, "In the South, manners have always been important…."). This old-fashioned tone prevails, and Deen's many fans will eat it up. Recipes range from easy (German Chocolate Pies involve no more than assembling ingredients in a prepared pie shell) to difficult (Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Icing involves carefully rolling a thin baked cake). Many of the savory dishes are hearty and rich, like the Bacon-Cheddar Meatloaf. This book excels at having wonderfully complete safety precautions. Each recipe is accompanied by a pictured list of ingredients and utensils needed, but nutritional information is not provided. The illustrations show a multicultural cast of characters, yet Deen suggests wearing Santa hats for a "holiday bake sale," with nary a mention of Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. So while this won't be for everyone, it will go over well in many communities, especially where the author's TV show is popular.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
