10 Best Children's Books to Inspire Cooking
Time relesed its list of 100 Best Children's Books in 2015. Overall, I am exceedingly happy with the books chosen. Much of the list covers a large part of my childhood. Books now. Books then. Books FOREVER! The feeling of nostalgia that washed over me was so warm and fuzzy.
Books continue to play a large role in my teaching life. I regret not having a library available for my students at my first school early in my teaching career because I couldn't live without it now! I rotate in new books for every unit that we study. My tiny humans can read during free time but I also use them for specific lessons. Art-book integration is usually pretty straight forward. What about cooking integration? A bit trickier. Here is my list of 10 Children's Books that help inspire some of the recipes my little chefs have cooked up in the past.
10. Cranberry Valentine, Harry Devlin
Did you know that New Jersey is the third-largest producer of cranberries in the United States? Fascinating stuff, I know! When I lived in South Jersey one of my field trips was to a cranberry bog. Before our trip we read books from the Cranberry series by New Jersey native Harry Devlin. I love the story, the illustrations, and the delicious cake recipe at the back of the book!
9. Pancakes for Breakfast, Tomie dePaola
True fact: This summer will mark the sixth annual Lyle Pancake Breakfast that my husband and I throw for our friends the weekend before school begins. DePaola's wordless story is as much about determination as it is about pancakes. A true gem. Mmm...pancakes.
8. Dragons Love Tacos, Adam Rubin
It's not my favorite book but it definitely inspires some delicious food. Dragons? Tacos? Yes, please. We took a cue from Pinterest to make mini tacos in a cupcake pan. Again, yaassss!
7. The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, Lemony Snicket
Maybe not tiny-human-friendly, but a funny little book to go along with latke making.
6. Thunder Cake, Patricia Polacco
This is a heart-warming story about conquering fear and it comes with a delicious cake recipe to boot.
5. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
I have a distinct memory of making and eating green eggs and ham in Preschool. This is such a fun one to make with the tiny humans.
4. Strega Nona, Tomie dePaola
I can't get enough of Tomie dePaola!! A yarn-spaghetti project from second grade helped solidify this book into my personal top ten list. Teaching kids the difference between steam and smoke is a wonderful addition to making a pot of spaghetti.
3. Stone Soup, Marilyn Sapienza
This version was part of the Weekly Reader Book Club when I was little so it's my favorite. Wouldn't you know it, I forgot the stone the last time I made Stone Soup. Oops.
2. Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct, Mo Willems
True to form, Mo Willems delivers an amusing tale about a plucky dinosaur who refuses to believe she should be extinct. She even bakes chocolate chip cookies (and a recipe is available on her website)! Tiny humans get to enjoy this story followed by tasty cookies. Awesome!
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
My brother adored this book when he was little. ADORED! Hands down Carle's best book. Eric Carle and his wife even founded a museum dedicated to children's picture books in 2002! In the words of Liz Lemon, "I want to go to there." To honor this book my tiny humans use a straw to poke a hole (a la the hungry caterpillar) in slices of fruit, veggies, and cheese. So simple and so good!
Whew, what a list! Yes, it's missing some classics. These are books that I found successful cooking connections with. What children's books do you look to for recipe inspiration?