While scrolling through television, streaming services, magazines, and social media, you are likely to come across quite a few cooking shows, competitions, articles, and posts featuring amazing kitchen creations. As someone who has never been a great cook myself, I am always impressed by what people can create out of seemingly simple ingredients. It also fascinates me to think of how universal the act of cooking is; every culture in the world has its own special recipes and traditions.
December brings children home from school, and holiday breaks are filled with hustle and bustle, gatherings, and lots of food. When it comes to my own family gatherings, it amazes me to see what my mom and many other members of my family create in the kitchen and how it brings us all together around the table. I’ve also observed my mom teaching her grandchildren how to bake and watched their eyes light up when they made something special with her help. The lessons that are passed on are invaluable, and the memories created are priceless.
Children learn a lot by cooking and baking. Following and executing a recipe requires math and science skills and is an engaging way to practice reading instructional texts while synthesizing information. It can also foster collaboration and mentorship, as well as intergenerational, historical, and cultural connections. Children may feel inspired to write their own recipes or connect with a friend or relative to discover their favorite recipes. No matter what food you are making, cooking and baking with friends and family can feed your body and soul, as well as bolster a sense of community, especially in these times of isolation.
If you’re like me, you may not be quite sure where to begin when it comes to creating anything in the kitchen. Thankfully, books always hold the key to getting started and finding the inspiration needed. Whether you’re at home or in the classroom, you’ll find plenty of ideas in these books featuring food, community, and recipes for any age!
To see more about each title, check them out on Mackin.com!
- 1234 CAKE! A COUNT-AND-BAKE BOOK – WRIGHT, CAROLINE
- ADVENTURES OF PADDINGTON: PANCAKE DAY! – CAPUCILLI, ALYSSA SATIN
- ALL YOU KNEAD IS LOVE – GUERRERO, TANYA
- AMY WU AND THE PERFECT BAO – ZHANG, KAT
- APPLE CAKE – CASEY, DAWN
- BAKING DAY! – SHAW, NATALIE
- THE BIG, FUN KIDS BAKING BOOK – CARPENTER, MAILE
- BILAL COOKS DAAL – SAEED, AISHA
- CAMILA THE BAKING STAR – SALAZAR, ALICIA
- CAMPFIRE COOKING: WILD EATS FOR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES – HOENA, BLAKE
- COOKING WITH BEAR: A STORY AND RECIPES FROM THE FOREST – HODGE, DEBORAH
- DAD BAKES – YAMASAKI, KATIE
- DELICIOUS! POEMS CELEBRATING STREET FOOD AROUND THE WORLD – LARIOS, JULIE
- DELISH KIDS (SUPER-AWESOME, CRAZY-FUN, BEST-EVER) COOKBOOK – SALTZ, JOANNA
- DUMPLINGS FOR LILI – IWAI, MELISSA
- EVERY NIGHT IS PIZZA NIGHT LOPEZ – ALT, J KENJI
- FRY BREAD: A NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILY STORY – MAILLARD, KEVIN NOBLE
- GARFIELD’S GUIDE TO LASAGNA: COOKING NATURE’S PERFECT FOOD – HIRSCH, REBECCA E
- HOT POT NIGHT! – CHEN, VINCENT
- JAPANESE COOKING WITH MANGA: EASY RECIPES YOUR FRIENDS WILL LOVE! – ALDEGUER, ALEXIS
- KALAMATA’S KITCHEN – THOMAS, SARAH
- LIBBY LOVES SCIENCE: MIX AND MEASURE – DERTING, KIMBERLY
- LIVING ON THE VEG: A KIDS’ GUIDE TO LIFE WITHOUT MEAT – GIFFORD, CLIVE
- MAGIC RAMEN: THE STORY OF MOMOFUKU ANDO – WANG, ANDREA
- MAKER COMICS: BAKE LIKE A PRO! – KOCH, FALYNN
- MAKING PASTA WITH MATH! – HUNT, SANTANA
- MAY YOUR LIFE BE DELICIOSA – GENHART, MICHAEL
- MEASURING UP – LAMOTTE, LILY
- NACHO’S NACHOS: THE STORY BEHIND THE WORLD’S FAVORITE SNACK – NICKEL, SANDRA
- NIKI NAKAYAMA: A CHEF’S TALE IN 13 BITES – MICHALAK, JAMIE
- NO KIMCHI FOR ME! – KIM, ARAM
- THE NO-COOK COOKBOOK – WOOLLARD, REBECCA
- THE OFFICIAL HARRY POTTER BAKING BOOK – FARROW, JOANNA
- OUR LITTLE KITCHEN – TAMAKI, JILLIAN
- THE PEANUTS FAMILY COOKBOOK: DELICIOUS DISHES FOR KIDS TO MAKE WITH THEIR FAVORITE GROWN-UPS – MARR, AMY
- PIE IN THE SKY – LAI, REMY
- A PLACE AT THE TABLE – FARUQI, SAADIA
- RUBY’S REUNION DAY DINNER – DALTON, ANGELA
- SALMA THE SYRIAN CHEF – RAMADAN, DANNY
- SOUL FOOD SUNDAY – BINGHAM, WINSOME
- STIR CRACK WHISK BAKE: A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT LITTLE CAKES – SOURCEBOOKS JABBERWOCKY
- SUMMER SUPPER – PFEFFER, RUBIN
- SUPER GOOD BAKING FOR KIDS – GOLDMAN, DUFF
- THE TEEN KITCHEN: RECIPES WE LOVE TO COOK – ALLEN, EMILY
- THANK YOU, OMU! – MORA, OGE
- TOMATOES FOR NEELA – LAKSHMI, PADMA
- UNI THE UNICORN: UNI BAKES A CAKE – ROSENTHAL, AMY KROUSE
- THE VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK: MORE THAN 50 RECIPES FOR YOUNG COOKS – LOVE, CARRIE
- WHAT’S COOKING AT 10 GARDEN STREET? – SALA, FELICITA
- YASMIN THE CHEF – FARUQI, SAADIA
