Middle-Eastern Food

December 1, 2011

Gr 3-6-Readers are introduced to food traditions, cooking styles, common ingredients, cooking basics, and equipment while practicing safety in the kitchen. Country maps highlight diets and food availability from various regions and the influencing factors for these dishes. Recipes with kid appeal list equipment and ingredients needed, plus alternatives for special diets. Captioned, full-color photographs provide step-by-step directions. Each title contains up to seven recipes that include historical background, a beverage, and a dessert. Vocabulary words are highlighted in bold, and quick facts are scattered throughout. Each book concludes with the country's food celebrations using some of the highlighted recipes and additional activities. Ideal supplements to culture and country studies.-Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 The books in the I Can Cook! series are definitely not the ones to usher kids into their first foray into the kitchen. The recipes haven't been particularly leveled-down into kid-friendly versions, which is actually a refreshing counterpoint to kids' cookbooks that simplify things to a fault. Of course, this means adults will need to be on hand at all times (a red oven-mitt icon pops up for all the cutting, frying, and boiling parts). Aside from the recipes themselves, each book presents a good amount of information on the geography, food staples, and even culture of each region. Finding common ground among a wide swath of distinctive cuisines, Middle Eastern Food focuses on similar ingredients and techniques found in different dishes from the region. Each recipe features helpful digital step-by-step illustrations and ideas for variations, underlining the fact that cooking is a creative process. Even if the cooking overwhelms, these overstuffed books can find use from a purely multicultural angle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)