Do you enjoy spending time with your kids? Do you like to encourage them to find beneficial activities? Do you like to cook? Well, if so, you'll enjoy Cooking With Max, a cookbook designed by a kid for kids.
There are forty-five recipes within its pages along with other activities. It was put together by young Max Nania (age seven at the time of the book's printing) with a little help from his mom, Sienna.
The book is conveniently split into eight categories. The first section provides good tips for both parents and children. For the parents, these tips are designed to "help save sanity" and that's always a good start. There are ten tips giving nice, balanced advice on cooking with kids. They cover practical matters, such as cleanliness and safety.
For the kids, there are also ten encouraging tips containing good basic safety requirements. The kids are also directed to get the help of adults. Of course, the recipes are all very simple and do not pose much danger at all. Nor do they require a lot of strenuous work. This is excellent for younger kids.
After the tips, the recipes begin. There are categories such as "Snacks & Side Dishes," "Breakfast," "Drinks," and "Meals & Main Dishes." There is a good variety for kids to choose from. The recipes are laid out well, each on its own page. All the recipes are very simple and will not take a lot of time to prepare - another good idea for kids. Also, they don't seem to be very expensive. For example, the very first recipe requires two to three slices of cheese, twenty to thirty crackers, and a cookie cutter. That's it. None of the recipes are extravagant, just fun and for everybody.
In addition to the recipe and some instructions, at the bottom of each page there is a "Mom's Tips" footer which contains suggested reading. There is a different kid's book listed on each page. Education and fun is stressed throughout the book.
Also included are simple taste-testing contests that kids can hold with their friends. Some recipes are tied in with school, providing snack ideas for the classroom. It would have been nice to see some photographs of the finished recipes on the recipe page, but maybe that's another activity all the chefs and parents out there can participate in.
Some serious health nuts may be bothered by the lack of calorie counts and detailed charts explaining to them every last ounce of saturated fats and death-dealing carbohydrates that are in the finished recipes, but that's their problem. Kids don't care and parents will like the fact that their kids enjoy doing something besides watching TV.
There are suggestions for combining the recipes to create full meals in the last section of the book, which is especially useful. Mom and Dad can have the little ones treat them one evening, perhaps. There is a color-coded map of the world (a small one) which matches the color code of the recipes. This way, kids can note which part of the world their food came from. There are metric conversion charts for volumes and weights, a food pyramid, and spaces for kids to make notes of their own inspired creations.
The book is very simple and offers an opportunity for parents and children to have some wonderful time together in the kitchen. Encourage your aspiring chefs. They'll love Cooking With Max.
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