Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up

Pretend Soup has rapidly become the children's cookbook classic, and no home or daycare center should be without a copy. Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook, and educator Ann Henderson have created a masterpiece formatted for grown-ups--with written instructions, suggestions, and caveats--and for kids--with illustrated, easy-to-follow pictures. The recipes are both tasty and healthy, and the quotes from kids are very funny (Matthew: "This is so good, I can't even say a word.") While safety is stressed and tips and warnings are included, Katzen and Henderson always stress the fun in food preparation. "Spills are what sponges are for. So keep plenty of sponges around, and a good time will be had by all!" From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 3-The theme of this fine cookbook is that cooking is a many-splendored thing. The book's purpose is "to enable very young children to cook as independently as possible under the gentle guidance of an adult partner." Each of the 17 recipes appears twice, once in words and once in full-color pictures. The child is the focus here: attention is paid to physical ability, comfortable work levels, and variety of tactile experience. A long list of skills and attitudes children can gain from cooking supports the idea that the process is more important than the product. Quotes reflect the young cooks' keen observation and joyful participation. Parents' Nursery School's Kids Are Natural Cooks (Houghton, 1974) also uses natural foods and has the same intent as this title. That book is arranged by season and contains more recipes; Pretend Soup focuses more on the processes. Anyone who works or plays with young children would benefit by having both. Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Katzen (of Moosewood Cookbook fame) teamed up with educator Henderson to produce this cookbook directed to very young children. It includes wonderful input from kids who've found their way into the kitchen: "I thought it was going to be gross, but it turned out good!" "I smell some pizza, dudes!" But the real joy is in the shared experience the book promotes. Each recipe begins with instructions to grown-ups, who function mainly as kitchen helpers and safety monitors. Kids can really do most of the work themselves by referring to simple, carefully sequenced sketches designed especially for them. As far as the recipes are concerned, kids and parents will be in for a nice surprise, for there's not a hot dog or chicken finger in evidence. Instead, we're talking real food--popovers, homemade lemon-lime soda pop, noodle soup, and quesadillas--delivered in recipes nicely scaled down for children to manage easily. Stephanie Zvirin "Mollie Katzen’s cookbooks for preschoolers, Pretend Soup and Salad People , are works of child-friendly genius. . ." --Slate.com “Play Points:xa05 (out of 5).xa0xadxadA delectable starter!” -- Nick Jr. Magazine “This is the best book to date on cooking with preschoolers.” -- Scholastic Parent & Child “A winner!” -- School Library Journal “You can toss a coin whether to give this charming cookbook, for preschoolers and up, to your favorite kid or to a food-loving adult who deals with children.” -- San Francisco Chronicle From the Publisher 160,000 copies in print! ANN HENDERSON is a credentialed early childhood education specialist and is co-director of the Child Education Center in Berkeley, California. MOLLIE KATZEN is a cookbook author and artist who has profoundly shaped the way America eats. Mollie is a consultant and cocreator of Harvard's groundbreaking Food Literacy Project. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. SALAD PEOPLE The Critics Rave:We’re gonna make people out of food! --jackI’m gonna make my sister. --theoMaybe I should make a carrot zipper. --simoneStrawberry hair! --serafinaTo the Grown-ups:Children will get deeply involved with this concept, which is all about creating a miniature person out of cheese, fruit, vegetables, and perhaps even pasta. In addition to being a cross between an art project and a great snack or lunch, this recipe presents a wonderful opportunity to introduce new foods--or at least new food combinations--to young children. There is no right or wrong way to make a Salad Person. In fact, if your child doesn’t feel like making something representational, it’s fine to make a food design instead. In either case, let your youngster guide the experience as inspiration occurs.Cooking Hints and Safety TipsChildren can help with some of the preparations, such as slicing strawberries and bananas, grating carrots, or spreading peanut butter into celery. They also enjoy helping place all the various components in small bowls and setting everything up.The Salad Person’s face can be made with cottage cheese or yogurt. Children of color might prefer to use coffee or chocolate yogurt so the Salad Person can look like family.You can firm up any flavor of yogurt by placing it in a paper-lined cone coffee filter over a bowl for a few hours--or even overnight. The whey will drip out of the yogurt, leaving behind a firmer curd, often referred to as “yogurt cheese.” Keep in mind that you’ll end up with only about 60 percent of the original volume.The amounts are quite flexible, so just estimate the quantities.Children’s Tools: Cutting boards and child-appropriate knives (if the children are going to help with the cutting); spoons for scooping; a plate and fork for each person Salad People Recipe Cored pear halves, peel optional (fresh and ripe, or canned and drained)Cottage cheese or very firm yogurtStrips of cheese (cut wide and thin, to be limbs)Sliced bananas (cut into vertical spears as well as rounds)Cantaloupe or honeydew (cut into 4-inch slices)Celery sticks (plain or stuffed with nut butter)Shredded carrots (in long strands, if possible)Sliced strawberries1) Place a pear half in the center of each plate, flat side down.2) Arrange a round scoop of cottage cheese or very firm yogurt above the narrow top of the pear, so that the cheese or yogurt looks like a head and the pear looks like a torso.3) Create arms and legs from strips of cheese, banana spears, melon slices, or celery sticks (stuffed or plain).4) Create hair, facial features, hands, feet, buttons, zippers, hats, and so forth from any combination of the remaining ingredients. 5) Name it and eat!yield: Flexible! Just put out a lot of food. Store the leftovers for next time, which will likely be soon. Read more