The Best Books for Kids Who Love to Cook
We LOVE children’s books. The playful characters, the beautiful illustrations, the fun stories and the great life lessons that are weaved into those stories. Books are memory-makers…bringing us back to our own childhood when we read a classic, and giving us new memories as we sit and read new stories with our little ones.
But walking into the children’s area of a library or bookstore can be totally overwhelming. The stacks and stacks of brightly colored picture books are lined up by the hundreds. Sometimes, we just want to know…which ones are the great ones?
Being in the food world, we’ve got an eye for spotting great children’s books that are all about food. We’ve rounded up a list of both our favorite kids cookbooks and our favorite kids books about food. Some even include recipes - which you absolutely have to try! In short, these food books are fabulous. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
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The Disney Princess Cookbook
Every princess-loving girl or boy will love this cookbook. It is a delight to open up, find a recipe that inspires, and make it together, maybe while also watching the movie that corresponds with the recipe. We’ve even hosted Disney themed dinners on a random night to just change up our normal routine and try some new recipes from this cookbook. One of our kiddos, even at age 10, still loves to flip through this one. Favorite recipes include Abu’s Monkey Bread, Ta Fiti Tropical Punch, Princess Pink Popcorn, and Gus’ Mac and Cheeseburger.
The Official Harry Potter Cookbook by Joanna Farrow
This is the most fun and colorful book for the younger Harry Potter fans in your life! It includes over 40 recipes that are inspired by the movies, including drinks, snacks, meals, and desserts. The recipes are simple to make and use familiar ingredients, but end up looking like a Golden Snitch, or Hedwig the owl. Definitely very kid-friendly and approachable for even the youngest chefs.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz
This NYT Best seller is best for the older Harry Potter fans. There are no recipe photos, but the book itself looks more like it came straight out of the Great Hall’s kitchen! The recipes are, in general, more challenging, but we think they reflect what Hogwart’s students really would eat. You’ll find recipes for everything from Pumpkin Juice to Treacle Pudding!
Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat by Mara Rockliff
This is such a neat story! It is a true story about Frieda Caplan, the first woman produce seller at a produce market in Los Angeles. She was the first to bring unique fruits and vegetables to America, like jicama and purple potatoes! The path she led is the reason we now have the variety of produce we see in our stores today. How neat!
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Sally’s daughters have loved this book for many years. It’s a sweet story about a boy who goes berry picking with a bear. They meet a lot of animal characters along the way as they pick different kinds of berries. This book is a perfect summer story to read before going berry picking! It’s very poetic with beautiful illustrations.
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
The OG book about picky eating! This classic story is known for it’s sing-songy rhymes, silly characters, and wonderful ending message: “Try them, try them, and you may!” Did you know, the main character refuses green eggs and ham over 70 times?! Chances are, you haven’t read this one since YOU were a kid!
Pizza for the Queen by Nancy F. Castaldo
One of the most beloved ways in our household to get cooking is to find a story that inspires us. Pizza for the Queen is just that! It’s the tale of the origin of the Margherita pizza in Italy, and it includes a homemade pizza recipe in the back. You WILL want to make pizza immediately after reading! We’ve made the recipe several times (it’s yummy!) and the story is a bit longer, perfect for ages 4-10.
Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore
For any kid who LOVES to help in the kitchen! Sweet Cora is so little, she often doesn’t get to help make her favorite Filipino foods. When her older siblings are gone for the day, Cora gets to help and do all of the “grown up jobs” she’s been waiting for. We adore this book for the sweet storyline, the chance to glimpse into Filipino culture, and the delicious “Lolo’s Pancit Recipe” at the back of the book!
The Complete Cookbook For Young Chefs By America’s Test Kitchen Kids
You know America’s Test Kitchen, right? The best, foolproof, tried and true recipes? Well, this is that…for kids! If you have a kiddo who’s ready for more independence in the kitchen, THIS is the book to get them started. They can truly take this book and walk through these simple recipes with very minimal assistance from an adult. What we love most about this book are the step by step tutorials (with actual kids in the pictures) that demonstrate basic skills, like how to use a knife, peeling carrots, forming meatballs, and rolling up a wrap sandwich. LOVE this one! Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Stir, Crack, Whisk, Bake: A Little Book About Little Cakes By America’s Test Kitchen Kids
Another America’s Test Kitchen gem…except this one is for the littlest chefs! This interactive board book tells the story of how cupcakes are made, engaging kids by tapping on eggs to crack them and shaking the book to mix up the ingredients! Really, anything by America’s Test Kitchen is pure gold and this one is seriously so cute. Recommended for ages 0-5.
These are the books we truly adore for kids! We hope you find some favorites from this list!