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Cooking with your kids is a great way to teach them how to follow directions, practice various math skills (time, measurement, etc), work as a team and try new foods. This list of cookbooks includes simple recipes, recipes for pets, healthy and international recipes. Whether you are an experienced or not so experienced cook these books will be great for you and your little one as you spend time together.
Cookbooks for Kids
More Resources for Little Book Lovers
The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.
Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.
Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.
Featured cookbooks for kids
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipesfor Preschoolers and Up by Mollie Katzen
Directions: Directions are given in two ways for each recipe. The first set of directions are for grown-ups and are detailed giving exact measurements and helpful hints. The second set of directions are for kids and are very simple picture directions. Grown-ups can let the child lead the cooking as they follow the adult directions.
Pictures: Illustrations for the children are very basic and simply show what to do with each step. Great for little cooks! On the adult page there are fairy tale like illustrations that give the pages a whimsical feel.
Additional information: We love this book! It is easy for Little Bit to follow directions and I am able to check the detailed directions for measurements. The recipes are simple and fun to make. Salad People and More Real Recipes is another book in this series.
Cool Pet Treats: Easy Recipes for Kids to Bake by Pam Price
Directions: Directions are short, only a few sentences. There are less than 8 steps and most are 4 or 5 steps. With the help of an adult, young cooks should not have any trouble cooking for their pet.
Pictures: Photographs are included of the finished item and some of the steps.
Additional information: The book includes information on cooking tools, information on ingredients, techniques for measuring, rolling and cooking, and other tips.
Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook by Nicola Graimes
Directions: Each set of directions includes a picture of that step. The steps are short and with an adult’s help they should not be difficult for little cooks. Steps that need adult help or involve knives or hot objects have a sign by them to warn help might be needed.
Pictures: There is a photograph of the final product, each step and a few items on the ingredients and equipment list.
Additional information: This cookbook focuses on healthy recipes for kids. The book starts with information about each food group; fruits, vegetables, starches, proteins, fats and sugars. The recipes also include extra information; food facts, tasty twists, helpful hints or did you know?
Cool Chinese and Japanese Cooking: Fun and Tasty Recipes for Kids by Lisa Wagner
Directions: The directions can be detailed and little ones will need adult help to follow sets. The directions do include bold words that have a definition in the glossary.
Pictures: Each recipe includes a photograph of the final product. There are also several small photos of steps in one part of the recipe, for example mixing and rolling meatballs.
Additional information: The book opens with tools, tips for how to cut, chop, etc and common Japanese and Chinese food information. With each recipe the tools are listed that will be used. This recipe book only has 6 recipes total but is a great book to use when beginning to cook foods from different cultures with kids. This is one book in the Cool World Cooking Series.
Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook by Georgeanne Brenna
Directions: The directions are multiple steps and can be involved. The recipes are based on inspiration from Dr. Seuss books and are not made to be easy for kids to make.
Pictures: Each recipe does not include a picture of the food. Most recipes include a picture from the book that inspired the recipe.
Additional information: The recipes are fun, for example you can make Daisy-Head Mayzie Burgers based on the book, Daisy-Head Mazie. There is also Schloop with a Cheery on Top form Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! With an adult’s help, these are great meals to have as you read the books.
Kids in the Kitchen Cookbook by Time For Kids
Directions: Recipes vary in level from simple to difficult and each page shows the recipe level. The directions are short and easy to understand.
Pictures: Each recipe includes a photograph of the completed recipe.
Additional information: The book begins with instructions on how to use a cookbook, kitchen
basics, smart food choices, how to measure and metric equivalent. Recipes are included for every meal of the day. The glossary in the back also helps new cooks with unfamiliar terms used in recipes.
Cooking Class by Deanna F. Cook
Directions: Directions range from 3-4 steps for most of the recipes. The recipes are rated from one spoon, can be made without heat or a knife, to 3 spoons, where you will need a knife and an adult’s help.
Pictures: Each recipe includes step-by-step photographs as the recipe is made and what the end product will look like.
Additional information: This book is great for kids that are learning to cook or have some experience in the kitchen. Chapter one is all tips, tricks, and vocabulary to know when working in the kitchen. I love the spoon rating which helps you know which recipe would work best for you and your little one.
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