July 1, 2013

Barlow (Easy Cut-up Cakes for Kids), with help from photographer Zac Williams (Little Monsters Cookbook) and illustrator Alison Oliver, invites kids to tackle recipes such as sea horse salad, where dyed pasta "sea horses" are garnished with spinach "seaweed," and gnome home pasta, where a tomato-topped boiled egg masquerades as a toadstool. These clever recipes rely on pantry staples and are easy enough for most children to make with a little help and supervision. Quirky illustrations appear throughout. VERDICT For young cooks interested in playful pasta projects. Children looking for more sophisticated recipes and techniques might enjoy Abigail Johnson Dodge's The Kid's Cookbook: A Great Book for Kids Who Love To Cook or Betty Crocker Kids Cook!

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Totem Pole Tortellini, Ladybug Salad, and a Purple Pasta Monster are just a few of the edible creations kids can help prepare that will tantalize the taste buds of young foodies. They will also learn fun facts about noodles such as that spaghetti lunghi con archetto measures up to four feet in length and can be used to create delicious Rapunzel Noodles. Sections of this cookbook are roughly organized by shape, e.g., "Twisted and Twirly," "Wheels and Whatever," etc., and the appealing format includes colorful graphic drawings and stick figures as well as scrumptious photographs of completed recipes sure to make children giggle and drool. Fun and simplicity are emphasized in this sure-to-become iconic cookbook that offers functional and edible dietary mainstays that the whole family will enjoy.-Kathryn Diman, Bass Harbor Memorial Library, Bernard, ME

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 Whoever thought there could be so many different types of pastaand so many fun, creative ways to prepare and serve it? On the verso of the title page, as well as other places in the book, Barlow encourages adult-child cooperation in preparing the dishes. The American-style recipes range from the everyday to the elegant, and the six chapters are divided according to the class of pasta needed for the recipes. Most ingredients are readily available, and the recipes are simple to make, given the adult supervision. The subtitle of the book is quite telling; Barlow adds twists to dishes to indeed make them playful (making robots out of macaroni and pretzels, etc.). Zac Williams provides tantalizing color photographs of the prepared dishes, while Oliver's humorous illustrations add levity and also information on each of the types of noodles used in each chapter. Pasta substitutions and an index are included (though a pronunciation guide for the various pastas would have been helpful). This fills a quirky niche in kids' cookbooks.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Sections named for pasta shapes ("Twisted & Twirly," "Wheels & Whatever") contain recipes that use common ingredients and simple techniques with the usual caveat about grown-up help. Appetizing full-color photos show final products. Pasta trivia, creative cooking tips, and "fun facts" are scattered throughout. A chart suggesting substitutions, such as ravioli instead of tortellini, is a clever addition. Ind.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

"Fun and simplicity are emphasized in this sure-to-become iconic cookbook that offers functional and edible dietary mainstays that the whole family will enjoy"