Tag Archives: Breakfast

Elem. – Look and Cook

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Fisher, Valorie. Look and Cook. Astra Young Readers. 2024. Grades PreK-3

Look and Cook Breakfast. 2024. 978-1-662-62068-3. $19.99.
Look and Cook Snacks. 2023. 978-1-662-62044-7. $14.95.

For young readers who are not able to read, the Look and Cook series is a great introduction to cooking utilizing picture directions! An appealing visual series, these books will guide young cooks to make a variety of different treats. The reviewer received and read Look and Cook Breakfast. Look and Cook Breakfast showcases easy and delicious breakfast treats for young cooks who are not yet able to read. Young cooks will be able to follow step-by-step directions, learn kitchen basics and safety, and make delicious breakfast treats for the whole family!

THOUGHTS: I have never seen a book like this before and am extremely excited to showcase this book! Filled with picture directions for ingredients, kitchen tools, safety, and step by step directions, this is a unique twist on a cookbook.

641.5 Cooking

Elem. – A Crocodile Should NEVER Skip Breakfast

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Larmour, Colleen. A Crocodile Should NEVER Skip Breakfast. Illustrated by Colleen Larmour. Kids Can Press, 2024. 978-1-525-30834-5. $19.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-1.

Because he is running late for his job as the river ferry, Croc has no time for breakfast and decides to grab donuts from Hippo Hut on his way to work. When he gets to Hippo Hut, however, he finds that they are sold out. The banana he brought along with him is rotten, and there are already passengers waiting when he arrives at work. Therefore, he must begin work hungry. All morning long, he dreams of donuts and other snacks. As the day drags on, he even begins to think about eating the passengers who are riding across the river on his back. Just when he thinks he can’t take it anymore, a friend appears with a tasty snack. Brightly colored illustrations add a humorous element to the story, giving readers insight into Croc’s desperate thoughts through the use of speech and thought bubbles.

THOUGHTS: Young children will love this goofy, cautionary tale about the importance of eating breakfast. Use it as a read-aloud during morning snack, or pair it with other books about breakfast, such as Maya Tatsukawa’s Sunday Pancakes (2022) or Laura Numeroff’s If You Give a Pig a Pancake (1998).

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MG – 15-Minute Foodie (Series NF)

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Borgert-Spaniol, Megan. 15-Minute Foodie. Capstone Press, 2023. $25.54 ea. or $204.32 Set of 8. 32 p. Grades 4-8. 

Colorful Foods in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-06153-3.
Eye-opening Breakfasts in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-06159-5.
Holiday Recipes in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-06165-6.
Party Foods in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-300-4.
Super Snacks in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-294-6.
Sweet Treats in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-288-5.
Tasty Meals in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-82-3.
Vegetarian Recipes in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-06171-7.

Each of these books presents thirteen recipes of sweet and savory varieties with colorful photos of the process and the resulting foods, making it easy and enticing for young chefs to tackle the options. A two-page introduction about cooking prepares cooks with basic supplies, kitchen tips, and a chart of standard/metric conversions. Each recipe is then showcased on a two-page spread, with ingredients, supplies needed, and directions to make the recipe. Each book is colorful and inviting, with recipes young people would like to eat or share. The recipes are meant to be made “in fifteen minutes or less,” and they stay true to that possibility. Recipes in Tasty Meals range from breakfast to dinner, including banana oat pancakes, ranch chicken quesadilla, taco scoops, and pad thai. Party Foods includes recipes for ‘nacho mountain,’ cheese fondue, frozen bananas, and raspberry sherbet punch. Super Snacks showcases chili cheese popcorn, parmesan crisps, avocado toast, and sunny smoothies. Sweet Treats includes coconut macaroons, watermelon slushie, peach grahams, and caramel pretzel milkshake. None of the recipes overlap in the books. My tween daughter and I successfully made guacamole, toaster panzanella, crunchy cucumber bites, decked-out pretzels, choco-berry salad, and sunny smoothies. All were tasty, and our family most enjoyed the guacamole, choc-berry salad (minus the chocolate), and the sunny smoothies. Each book ends with one page offering three print and three internet resources (again, all resources are different in each title). The only ‘missing ingredient’ is serving size and numbers. Most recipes seem right for 2-4 people, with the party recipes yielding enough for 10-12, but it would be helpful to know approximate yields.

THOUGHTS: These colorful and upbeat books provide a nutritious variety of foods that young chefs and their families or friends can truly enjoy. Bravo to author Borgert-Spaniol for the realistic and varied choices. 

641.8 Cooking; Meals; Snacks; Party Foods