KIDS CAN COOK

This cookbook aims to build confidence in the kitchen.

This illustrated cookbook is presented in three sections, each one filled with traditional Western or culturally borrowed fare. “Breakfasts, snacks & breads” includes scrambled eggs on toast, two kinds of pancakes, muffins, quesadillas, skewers, sausage rolls, banana bread, mini frittatas, and flatbread. The section on “Main meals & sauces” includes pasta sauces, pizza, risotto, sliders, fajitas, fishcakes, and curry. “Sweet treats” include ice pops, apple pie, oatmeal bars, cupcakes, cookies, fudge, “gingerbread people,” and brownies. The typeface and the illustrations give this book an old-fashioned feel, but the equally retro-seeming line-and-color illustrations are neither realistic nor especially appetizing, so the volume doesn’t motivate readers to delve into cooking and eating the way cookbooks with photographs do. The recipes are well chosen for a young cook to develop a solid repertoire and confidence in the kitchen, and the opening pages on safety tips, equipment, and basic techniques are helpful. The instructions for the recipes are not broken down in an especially simple or clear way, however, so the collection ends up feeling like a very slim cookbook for general readers rather than a volume specifically aimed at children. This will work for older children or for highly motivated young chefs, but there are other books that do the same with a more attractive presentation and simpler instructions.

Great selections; not so great presentation.