New Cookbooks for Children

Food journalist Mark Bittman knows firsthand how “cooking with and for the people you love makes every day a whole lot better,” as he writes in How to Cook Everything Kids (Harvest, Oct.), his first cookbook geared toward young chefs. He and other authors of forthcoming children’s cookbooks spoke with PW about the many benefits of a multigenerational kitchen.

Yes, chef!

Bittman says it’s “critically important” for children to feel comfortable in the kitchen, and to understand that good food ought to be nutritious and healthy. “The way to make that happen is to show your kid how fun and how easy it is,” he says. “Invite them in and say, ‘Help me cook. Let me help you cook. Let’s do something together.’ My daily presence in the kitchen had an influence on my children.”

His book, with a boost from Ghazalle Badiozamani’s photos and April Kim Tonin’s illustrations, teaches kids to feed themselves with the confidence, creativity, and joy that he cultivated in his own family. Sidebars explain technique and share fun food facts, and recipes include variations and substitutions, such as replacing the all-purpose flour in Flippy Pancakes with corn or whole wheat. The author names a few personal favorites: fried rice, shiny edamame (“Korean-inspired and a crowd pleaser,” he says), and cherry tomato candy made using a super slow–roasting technique that can be applied to carrots, sweet potatoes, and tofu for equally satisfying results.

While Bittman’s book is written with middle grade readers in mind, the concept behind the pictorial Look and Cook series “is cookbooks for children who are not yet reading,” says author-illustrator Valorie Fisher. In Look and Cook Breakfast (Astra, Nov., ages 4–8), which follows series starter Look and Cook Snacks, recipes begin with minimally captioned pictures of equipment and quantities of ingredients, followed by numbered, wordless, step-by-step instructions. Graphic icons designate cook time and number of servings for dishes including Sleepover Oats (overnight rolled oats with chia seeds), Tasty Toast (avocado toast with everything bagel seasoning), and Bluffins (blueberry muffins).

Baking muffins for the whole family, Fisher says, gave her own children a deep sense of satisfaction and a confidence boost. “Even before they’re reading, I want children to think about making food and enjoy making food.” One of the families who tested her recipes included a six-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister. “He gave her all kinds of jobs to help out. I love that they can work together even at such a young age.”

Small hands, big flavors

David Atherton’s Christmas Cookbook for Kids (Candlewick, Sept., ages 5–9), written by the 2019 winner of The Great British Baking Show and illustrated by Katie Cottle, emphasizes a spirit of generosity in the kitchen. “At Christmas, it’s important to let our family and friends know how much we love them,” Atherton writes in the introduction. “What better way to show them that you care than with a homemade gift?” Four categories of recipes—sweets and edible gifts, party foods, cakes and cookies, and festive showstoppers—include no-cook coconut-coated truffles, Christmas sweater–shaped pizza, and a mini gingerbread village.

In Chefs Wanted (DK, Oct., ages 7–11), British restaurateur, chef, and TV personality Allegra McEvedy brings global sensibilities and an adventurous spirit to her first children’s cookbook to be published in the U.S. Its 40-plus recipes, each accompanied by photos and Alice Bowsher’s cartoon-like spot illustrations, are designed for kids looking for a kitchen challenge; they include Rockin’ Ramen, spiked with white miso paste and gojuchang and garnished with jammy eggs, and archetypical European desserts like profiteroles and trifles. McEvedy, a two-season judge on The Great British Baking Show: Juniors who also set up a teaching kitchen at her daughter’s school, treats young readers like chefs-in-the-making, sharing specialized cooking and baking techniques and offering primers on pantry staples.

The first cookbook in a planned series from Rebel Girls media company, Rebel Girls Cook (Ten Speed, Oct., ages 7 and up), promotes confidence and creativity with more than 100 recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinners and sides, and desserts. True to its brand, the book includes relevant facts about inspirational figures—Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai’s family always had fried eggs with chapati for breakfast, for instance—and shares stories of real-life women in food, such as chef Andrea Nguyen and New York Times contributor Priya Krishna.

A World of Flavor (Phaidon, Oct., ages 7–10), food writer Gabrielle Langholtz’s fifth cookbook and second for children (after United Tastes of America), invites kids on a whirlwind tour of 40 countries and encourages them to learn more about their world through the universal language of food. “It’s a celebration of our differences and what we have in common—how we celebrate birthdays or mark seasons and harvests,” she says. Langholtz, whose culinary bona fides include stints as the editor of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn magazines and head of publicity for New York City’s Greenmarkets, consulted more than 100 other titles and hired various contributors to fill gaps in her knowledge. Barcelona artist Tania García’s illustrations enhance the international menu, which includes Algeria’s sandwich aux merguez (spicy lamb sausages in toasted baguette); masoor dal, which is standard fare in India; and Australia’s featured dish, pavlova. Peppered throughout are spreads dedicated to widely consumed staples like rice, bread, and beans.

Langholtz hopes that readers develop a curiosity for flavors that may be unfamiliar to them. “I love buttered noodles as much as the next person, but it’s a big, delicious world,” she says. “Kids in Scandinavia eat oily, strongly flavored fish; children in Korea love kimchi. Cookbooks can be a rich and meaningful way to learn about coconut milk and lemongrass and fish paste, to open children’s mouths and minds.”

Back for seconds

Kitchen traditions have evolved as families and tastes have, and forthcoming reissues reflect these changing sensibilities.

New York Times contributor and much-lauded cookbook author Joan Nathan had her grandchildren in mind when refreshing 1995’s The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen. “In today’s multicultural America, much has changed to adapt to different types of diets and a changing diet,” she writes in the revamped preface. “This generation is less interested in meat, and more in vegetarian meals with less fat. Even my six-year-old grandchildren are aware of climate change and how it affects what they eat.” The book, retitled A Sweet Year (Knopf, Nov.), features new photography by Gabriela Herman and 25 new recipes with high kid appeal, among them rainbow challah, date tahini banana milkshakes, roasted carrot dip, and curried and spiced lentil, squash, and carrot soup. Nathan notes in each step of every recipe whether adult hands are needed.

Deanna F. Cook incorporates more international dishes in the 10th anniversary edition of Cooking Class (Storey, Oct., ages 8–12), such as sushi and fried rice. “Children’s palates are a little bit more sophisticated now [than when the book was originally published],” she says. She added a chapter of soup recipes, including pizza soup and a copycat version of Panera Bread’s popular broccoli-cheddar soup. “Having recipes for foods they eat all the time shows children how a thing is made, and also tells them that they can make it, too.”

Cook says books like hers and others highlighted here can help
children “have that connection both to the food and to the people they’re cooking with. Cooking is a wonderful, simple, old-fashioned way to connect with each other.”

New Cookbooks for Children

Mark Bittman, Gabrielle Langholtz, Joan Nathan, and others are teaching confidence and connection in the kitchen