National Geographic Kids Cookbook: a Year-Round Fun Food Adventure

August 15, 2014
A month-by-month guide to seasonal cooking, green craft projects and enjoyable challenges that has something to offer even the most environmentally conscious kids. Recipes include everything from novice-friendly Ants on a Log to more challenging undertakings such as New England Pot Roast. Even reluctant cooks will not be able to refuse Ghoulish Guacamole, Witches' Toenail Trail Mix, or Tilly's Gingersnaps. Tips for creating distinctive sandwiches as well as customizing pasta salad for different tastes increase the range of each recipe. Monthly activities include everything from gardening and composting to crafting recycled greeting cards and throwing green holiday parties. Kids looking for even more fun with their food will appreciate monthly challenges like holding a cooking contest. Sidebars feature profiles of chefs and environmentalists as well as additional fun facts. Engaging photographs and brightly colored layouts will entice even reluctant readers. Resources for further research as well as separate indices for the activities and the recipes are included. Calling this a cookbook is a bit limiting; this resource is intended to engage young chefs both inside and outside of the kitchen, connecting the world of food with the larger world around them.Hands-on kids will find much to appreciate in this compendium of fun and food with an Earth-friendly focus. (Nonfiction. 7-12)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Chef Seaver has created a solid cooking and learning experience for children. Including a variety of recipes, he covers the basics, discussing special seasonings and ingredients, foods from other countries, and nutrition, as well as how kids can grow some of their own foods. Chapters are broken down by month, with each section featuring relevant recipes. For instance, "March" includes ideas for an international feast, with recipes for Mediterranean hummus, West African Mafe, and Italian asparagus salad, while "September" contains some helpful tips for bag lunches that readers can use for back-to-school preparations. The book incorporates some intriguing asides as well: profiles of those in the food industry, the origins of some of these foods, tips for healthy eating, and more. Attractive photographs feature the mouth-watering foods mentioned. A fun, well-designed cookbook.-Cynde Suite, Bartow Cty. Lib. Syst., Adairsville, GA

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