My Favorite Recipes

Gr 3—6—These recipes, compiled from four of the author's previous books, look good enough to eat. Each one includes a full-page, full-color picture of the dish, as well as step-by-step instructions, with smaller pictures. Most recipes are featured on two pages. The first contains a list of ingredients and often tips on how to serve or substitute ingredients. The second page has the preparation time, cooking time, servings, and directions. The stand-up, flip-over format is frustrating because the directions do not include the ingredients' measurements, requiring that young cooks flip back and forth between the pages. All recipes need adult assistance, and some require more than basic cooking skills. The recipes are organized in four sections: light bites, main meals, fruity treats, and cakes and cookies. They include children's favorites like spaghetti and chicken dippers (with a cheese chip twist), as well as more exotic dishes like paella and lamb tagine. Where this cookbook really shines is in the creative and fun plating. Karmel often creates faces or animals out of a dish. Twice baked potatoes become Baked Potato Mice by adding raisins for eyes, chives for whiskers, cherry tomatoes for a nose, radishes for ears, and a scallion for a tail. A bright and colorful cookbook that is sure to appeal to children.—Samantha Larsen Hastings, Riverton Library, UT