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This past week marked the late, great Dr Seuss’s birthday and National Read Across America Day. All the Dr. Seuss related activity at my son’s preschool got me thinking about reading and its connection to food, starting with that breakfast classic green eggs and ham. Along with the funny rhymes and some of the most imaginative childhood stories of all times, the author/illustrator came up with this iconic dish, which little kids think is a riot.
It’s so simple, all you need to do is add either some green food coloring or chopped spinach or spinach juice to your normal scrambled eggs, and serve it alongside some grilled ham steak. If you use food coloring, your eggs will take on a vibrant green hue (perfect for St Paddy's Day), while if you go the spinach route, the eggs will take on a softer, more natural color, and even more nutrition. You can leave the ham steak whole or cube it and mix it in with the eggs.
Another fun way to make green eggs is in that home economics class staple, Eggs in a Hole, AKA Manhole Covers. I remember the large family up the street from us used to have this treat every weekend. How their mom found time to make Eggs in a Hole for five kids plus sleepover guests, I’ll never know!
Use a cookie cutter or juice glass to trim circles out of regular sliced bread. Then to make the eggs green, separate them before cooking and mix the whites with green food coloring. Place the bread in a sizzling pan of butter, fill the cut out centers with a little of the dyed egg white mixture and then top with the yolk. After the egg sets, flip over and cook to desired doneness. The green whites set against the browned toast and yellow yolk will make for a striking visual your kids will love. Don’t forget to include the "covers" for dipping!
You can accompany your green egg creations with a Pink Ink Yink Drink, another classic Dr Seuss dish from my favorite, One Fish Two Fish. Just use your favorite recipe for pink smoothies.
Of course, these fictional feasts are not just limited to Dr. Seuss books. From strange concoctions like green eggs and ham, to the everyday ordinary meatballs and mashed potatoes turned into imaginary landscapes, to pasta from Strega Nona’s pot, food has a way of working itself into children’s literature and leaving an indelible impression on young minds.
The Heidi series must have been a great boon to the fondue pot industry but fondue is not what I remember from it. There was a passage about foamy, fresh Swiss milk topped with nutmeg and knew I immediately had to try it. To make this Alpine treat, I found a jelly jar in which I poured cold milk and a touch of sugar and shook it until it became foamy, then sprinkled a little nutmeg on the top. It’s such a satisfying treat you won’t need cookies to go with it.
Also, if you have read the Little House series, then you probably remember the vivid description of maple sugaring and the accompanying candy that the children made. Or how about the potatoes cooked in an open fire in the book Farmer Boy (incidentally a foodie childhood favorite)? Or perhaps Harry Potter will start influencing your kids to drink pumpkin juice for breakfast!
Children’s literature is full of food references that can be inspiration for cooking activities with your children. What are some of your foods you can think of from yours or your kid’s literary heroes?
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1137-childrens-book-foods/
Great Books and Great Food
It’s so simple, all you need to do is add either some green food coloring or chopped spinach or spinach juice to your normal scrambled eggs, and serve it alongside some grilled ham steak. If you use food coloring, your eggs will take on a vibrant green hue (perfect for St Paddy's Day), while if you go the spinach route, the eggs will take on a softer, more natural color, and even more nutrition. You can leave the ham steak whole or cube it and mix it in with the eggs.
Another fun way to make green eggs is in that home economics class staple, Eggs in a Hole, AKA Manhole Covers. I remember the large family up the street from us used to have this treat every weekend. How their mom found time to make Eggs in a Hole for five kids plus sleepover guests, I’ll never know!
Use a cookie cutter or juice glass to trim circles out of regular sliced bread. Then to make the eggs green, separate them before cooking and mix the whites with green food coloring. Place the bread in a sizzling pan of butter, fill the cut out centers with a little of the dyed egg white mixture and then top with the yolk. After the egg sets, flip over and cook to desired doneness. The green whites set against the browned toast and yellow yolk will make for a striking visual your kids will love. Don’t forget to include the "covers" for dipping!
You can accompany your green egg creations with a Pink Ink Yink Drink, another classic Dr Seuss dish from my favorite, One Fish Two Fish. Just use your favorite recipe for pink smoothies.
Of course, these fictional feasts are not just limited to Dr. Seuss books. From strange concoctions like green eggs and ham, to the everyday ordinary meatballs and mashed potatoes turned into imaginary landscapes, to pasta from Strega Nona’s pot, food has a way of working itself into children’s literature and leaving an indelible impression on young minds.
The Heidi series must have been a great boon to the fondue pot industry but fondue is not what I remember from it. There was a passage about foamy, fresh Swiss milk topped with nutmeg and knew I immediately had to try it. To make this Alpine treat, I found a jelly jar in which I poured cold milk and a touch of sugar and shook it until it became foamy, then sprinkled a little nutmeg on the top. It’s such a satisfying treat you won’t need cookies to go with it.
Also, if you have read the Little House series, then you probably remember the vivid description of maple sugaring and the accompanying candy that the children made. Or how about the potatoes cooked in an open fire in the book Farmer Boy (incidentally a foodie childhood favorite)? Or perhaps Harry Potter will start influencing your kids to drink pumpkin juice for breakfast!
Children’s literature is full of food references that can be inspiration for cooking activities with your children. What are some of your foods you can think of from yours or your kid’s literary heroes?
Serves/Makes: 1
- 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring
- 5 tablespoons water
- sliced ham
- 2 eggs
- non stick cooking spray
Mix food color and water, set aside. Separate egg white from egg yolks. Place two teaspoons of food color with egg white and mix. Put two tablespoons of food mixture with egg yolks. Brush ham with food color and fry ham until cooked, remove from pan. Place egg whites in fry pan and cook just until they start to set.
Place egg yolks on top of the egg whites. Add an additional teaspoon of color mixture to egg to help steam eggs. Put a lid on top of fry pan and finish steaming eggs until done.
If the children prefer scrambled eggs, you may want to add two teaspoons of food color mixture to eggs and scramble. When cooking scrambled eggs, cook on medium heat stirring briskly until done.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1137-childrens-book-foods/