American Food

Gr 1–3—These unusually beautiful books spotlighting food cultures around the world let the youngest cooks try their hand at making favorites such as quesadillas, egg rolls, and French toast (with adult supervision). Faced with colorful pictures of tiny bowls of couscous decorated with nuts and spices and focaccia with cherry tomatoes and capers, readers will be encouraged to broaden their culinary horizons. The books include some general content about each cuisine before moving on to a few recipes. The dishes sometimes rely on ingredients like spaghetti sauce from a jar or chicken broth, but the majority use fresh vegetables and other ingredients. Occasional slip-ups ("Cooking has been an important part of the Chinese culture for hundreds of years" will make readers wonder what the Chinese were eating for the previous several thousand years) somewhat diminish the authority of the text, but it is tough to argue with such an attractive presentation of a useful subject.