Pages of Possibilities: Cookbooks for Kids

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

What I love most about cookbooks are the possibilities contained within. The endlessly delicious possibilities. Just the potluck of choices and mouth-watering ideas pulled together in one place is certainly food for thought, no pun intended.

Whereas one day you might be looking for a little lunch inspiration and another time something simple for supper, other times it’s specific: a pancake recipe, a pasta salad or directions for baking a pot roast. Of course, with the advent of the Internet, the very tool at your fingertips right now (plus CDKitchen of course!), finding recipes is now easier than ever.

But nothing can quite compare to the appeal of a book in hand—even if it’s only to peruse the pages. Whether you crack open your old family tome or grab several from your local library, perusing a cookbook together is a light and easy way to turn your kids onto cooking.

Sure enough, every time my kids glance through a cookbook, they find a recipe (or two, or three!) that they want to make. And here’s the kicker—they choose different dishes than I would—but for some reason it speaks to them, and their energy, enthusiasm and happiness is always higher for those choices they make themselves.

One word of caution: It’s best to peruse cookbooks after you’ve had bedtime snacks—any snacks, really. Those pages of possibilities can definitely make you hungry. Then, properly armed with a small stack of sticky notes, your kids can mark those items that appeal. Before you know it, they’ll be inspired to whip up some tasty treats for you.

Here are several cookbooks to get your kids started:

1. Alphabet Cooking by Elaine Magee (1998)

Cooking with children is a natural combination, and spending time together is not something to be taken lightly. Here’s a book to help you open your heart and your kitchen with fun recipes from A-Z. Especially good for children ages 3-6 (learning that alphabet!), this book contains 2 down-to-earth recipes for each alphabet letter. And it’s not all pie-in-the-sky cooking with kids either—cleaning up is considered part of cooking—plus you’ll find some fun ideas for sprucing up school lunches and parties.

2. Cooking Art: Easy Edible Art for Young Children by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter (1997, 191 pages)

Not only is the cover art eye-catching and appealing, here’s a natural collaboration: creative edible art. This books taps into the culinary possibilities of using your imagination—and best of all, no food is wasted or thrown away in the name of food design or food play. This book is meant to be used with children and adults as partners and recognizes that the kitchen (and the food you make in it) present endless possibilities for learning math, reading comprehension, chemistry and more. From edible numbers and letters to building houses, airplanes and gardens to bouquets of flowers, this book presents new and exciting ways to bring together the worlds of food and art.

3. Cooking Adventures for Kids by Diane Devine (1974, 101 pages)

Written and dedicated to school-age kids everywhere, these easy recipes and simple instructions for preparing tasty, nourishing dishes are divine. The recipes are numbered according to the degree of simplicity, but the fun doesn’t stop there. The author also covers kitchen manners, herbs and a whole glossary of terms. Categories include breakfast, lunch, dinner, salads and veggies, dressings, muffins and yeast breads, desserts and more.