Kids Around the World Cook!: The Best Foods and Recipes from Many Lands

ANNOTATION

Presents information on and recipes for a variety of foods from many countries, including Sweet Lassi from India, Challah from Israel, Strawberry Soup from Poland, Kushiyaki from Japan, and Prairie Berry Cake from Canada.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

An international compendium of recipes introduces kids to a world of delicacies that are easy and fun to make.

What do Jamaican kids eat for breakfast? What do Japanese families have for dinner? What kinds of treats do Norwegian children have for dessert? Kids Around the World Cook! helps young readers develop an appreciation for other cultures by introducing them to a banquet of recipes from around the world. Kids learn how to make lots of fun meals, including: Indian Sweet Lasi (a yogurt drink), Ethiopian Injera Bread (a thin pancake-shaped bread), Polish Strawberry Soup (which is served cold on hot summer days), and Japanese Kushiyaki (meat and vegetables broiled on skewers). The recipes come from many countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel, Cuba, Egypt, South Africa, and Thailand, among many others. In addition, text and sidebars supply plenty of background information on cultural food traditions to help kids learn as they eat!

Arlette N. Braman (Stroudsburg, PA), a former teacher, has developed international thematic units for students and has written articles for kids in Play Groups, Pen & Ink, and Falcon magazine. She is also the author of Wiley's Kids Around the World Create!

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Childrens Literature

Let your kids cook this week and sample cuisine from Thailand, Ethiopia, Israel, Germany and more. This cookbook provides interesting recipes from diverse countries and teaches children about the origin of these dishes and how they are linked to foods in other cultures. The author begins with basic rules about kitchen safety and ends with a glossary of food-related terms. Some of the recipes are simple, such as strawberry soup from Poland. However, the author also includes more challenging recipes, such as saffron meatballs and rice from Spain. The book's layout is very child friendly, with illustrations and step-by-step instructions to help young cooks succeed with their nascent kitchen skills. 2000, John Wiley & Sons, Ages 9 to 12, $12.95. Reviewer: Jeanne K. Pettenati

Parent Council Reviews

What a yummy book! A great gift idea for any child who enjoys cooking. These nicely illustrated and organized recipes come from literally everywhere in the world—saffron meatballs from Spain, Swiss fondue, Jamaican coconut bread, Norwegian nutmeg cookies, etc. The ingredients are easy to find, and each recipe has also an equipment list, some history, and a cultural link. Very educational and highly recommended. Part of the "Kids Around the World" series. 2000, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., $12.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: A. Braga SOURCE: Parent Council Volume 8

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-A collection of recipes for beverages, grains, soups and starters, main courses, and sweets from 22 countries. Each one has been tested by fourth-grade students and is clearly written. Readers are directed to find the few special ingredients required at specialty shops or on Web sites. Unfortunately, they must wade through a morass of fragmentary information to find these recipes. For example, on the four pages devoted to black bean soup, there is one sentence about its history, two about a man in ancient Rome who made soup, two paragraphs about bean soups in three different countries (with their names and pronunciations), a recipe for black bean soup from Cuba, two sentences about various beans of the world, and four describing chili con carne, sans recipe. Black-and-white line drawings and poorly rendered photos appear throughout. Deanna Cook's The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook (Williamson, 1995) is more inviting. For a more complete treatment of a single country, try the wonderful "Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks" series (Lerner).-Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Kirkus Reviews

This cookbook for recipes from around the world chooses neither the best foods nor the best recipes, but does include some odd and interesting information about the history of what we eat. Dividing the text into chapters on beverages, grains, soups and starters, main courses, and deserts, the author includes a section on kitchen safety and provides brief information on special ingredients. Braman (Kids Around the World Create. Not reviewed), is a former teacher, who states she has tested the recipes with fourth graders and simplified recipes for young cooks. Maybe, but Baklawa (Egyptian phyllo with ground nuts and coconut) and Injera (Ethiopian flat bread) are not usually considered starter recipes. Some information given is neither safe nor accurate. She suggests cooking bratwurst in a pan over medium heat till lightly brown. Gourmet magazine recommends simmering brats for twenty minutes before grilling, or pan browning. Undercooked sausages are NOT SAFE. Elsewhere, she describes New York egg creams, as `a combination of eggs, cream, chocolate syrup and soda.` Most New Yorkers will tell you egg creams have neither eggs nor cream. The format is distracting for cooks, since the author introduces a type of food, then gives some food history from other times and cultures, lists ingredients for a specific recipe, gives the step-by-step procedure, and then introduces a food from still another culture. Line drawings and photographs appear throughout. Some specialized cooking terms are defined in the glossary. Index was not seen. An additional purchase where multicultural materials are in heavy demand. (Nonfiction 10-12)