Books to Nurture Little Foodies

Follow Mr. Baker as he carefully measures the ingredients, mixes the dough, cuts it into shapes, bakes his cookies and decorates them. Watch Milton read the book below in this episode of Can I Read to You?

What’s better than just eating a favorite dish? Anticipating it while preparing it, of course! Rhythmic, rhyming language and playful illustrations capture the joy of making this special Korean dish — and the joy of sharing it.

Love and caring extend across generations and cultures as a young Jewish girl from a Russian background and two African-American boys work creatively to get their gramma, Miss Eula, an Easter hat. Illustrations detail the warmth of the relationships as well as the subtleties of their different backgrounds.

A charming picture book about a hen who decides to make a strawberry shortcake with her friends…none of whom know anything about cooking. Iguana tries to measure the flour with a ruler! Hen teaches about measuring properly with the right tools and the author includes side notes about dry versus liquid measuring, as well as equivalents such as 1 stick butter = 1 cup = 8 tablespoons.

A Chinese family goes out for dim sum (“little dishes”), choosing their favorites off the restaurant cart and sharing with each other. The illustrations evoke the textures and patterns in this traditional meal, and an endnote provides background on the cultural history and customs surrounding dim sum.

Colors introduce foods and more from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. Rich illustrations accompany bouncy rhymes that incorporate Spanish words! All colors appear in both Spanish and English.

Ever wonder how the food we eat came to be in a lunchbox? Brief text and lively illustrations describe food starts as well as healthy eating habits.

The children are distressed that it’s raining while visiting their grandfather. But Grandpa has the children don rain gear to “find colors for garden stew.” Vegetables collected, the family makes and eats a delicious stew. Joy-filled illustrations accompany the rhythmic text.

Willy’s barbeque is about the best around, even attracting green, 3-eyed, barbeque-loving aliens! Laughs abound in the rhyming tale and swirling, understated illustrations and its surprise ending.

The mayor of Food Town introduces each of the five groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, protein, and dairy. Each personified group parades through town with its relatives. Humorous illustrations of foods with personality, all labeled, are used with an understated text to present palatable nutrition information. A bit more easily digestible information ends the book.

Pinch is too lazy to make his own soup so visits his friend, Dash who is making some. With ingredients from both kitchens, however, the friends make a tasty soup which turns into an inedible disaster. Short chapters and engaging illustrations create an accessible, engaging book for newly independent readers.

When Tyler forgets his dog’s birthday, he goes to Mr. Baker to learn how to bake a cake. There the boy learns about where the ingredients for a carrot cake originate. Childlike illustrations provide information and humorous asides from Tofu, the dog. Tyler’s DOG carrot cake recipe is included.