cover image Kitchen Fun for Kids: Healthy Recipes and Nutrition Facts for 7 to 12 Year-Old Cooks

Kitchen Fun for Kids: Healthy Recipes and Nutrition Facts for 7 to 12 Year-Old Cooks

Michael Jacobson, Laura Hill. Henry Holt & Company, $14.95 (136pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-1609-3

Parents concerned with their children's nutrition will welcome this anthology of low-fat, low-sugar recipes easily put together by kids themselves. Without preaching, Jacobson ( The Fast Food Guide ) and dietitian Hill ( Eating the Low-Fat Way ) admonish young readers that ``the rest of your body needs more than sweet, salty or crispy foods . . . to help it grow as strong and smart as it can.'' Accordingly, the book abounds with handy facts (e.g., a list of ``golden safety rules'') certain to help budding gastronomes and likely to enlighten more than a few adults. From a healthful ``bananany breadsic '' to clever ``English muf-faces'' (muffins with raisin eyes, strawberry nose and orange mouth) and hearty bean-and-vegetable chili, recipes are consistently unelaborate and include preparation tools needed for each. The proof, however, will be in the pudding--happily, the single one here calls for brown rice rather than white--and in whether children will want to fix this food. A smattering of rollicking pen-and-ink cartoons illustrate ideas. Notably missing, though, are the full-color photos that would grab and hold attention. (July)