Eat it Up!

Eat it Up

Cookbook

DeMariaffi, Elisabeth.  (2009).  Eat it up.  Toronto, Ontario: Owl Kids.

This picture was obtained from: https://owlkids.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=200

A Little about the Book:

Eat it up is a cookbook designed for kids to learn how to cook meals, snacks, and dessert.  The cookbook is great because it teaches children about safety, cooking terms and techniques, and the utensils used when cooking.  The recipes are all very simple, and taste great.  The cookbook also incorporates cartoon characters and comic strips to keep it kid friendly.  In addition, the names of the recipes are very creative.

The Illustrations:

The illustrations turn a typical adult genre of reading into kid’s material.  I find all of the cartoon characters to be cute and funny, and the comic strips to be a creative way of introducing the recipes and tips.  My four-year-old son just loves the cartoon characters.  His favourite one is Robin.

Themes:

·         Healthy eating

·         Cooking and preparing food

·         Kitchen safety

Age Level:

This cookbook is appropriate for kids between the ages of 4 and 11.  For the younger kids an adult needs to help read, and cook, but they are capable of following the illustrations for the step-by-step procedures.  The older kids would be able to read the cookbook, and create the recipe with minimal adult help.

Personal Response:

I love this cookbook.  Not only do kids get experience with creating healthy meals, they also learn math, read, and follow directions.  The best part of the cookbook is when the kid is finished reading and following directions they are rewarded with homemade food. 

The language used in the book is very kid friendly.  Any words, which may cause confusion for a child, are bolded and can be looked up in the glossary at the front of the book.  The cartoon characters add a comic relief to cooking, and make cooking inviting to all children (including the stubborn boy who thinks cooking is for girls). 

I cannot praise this book enough.  I love using cookbooks as a piece of literature with children.  They learn so many life skills, and have fun doing so.

Teacher Ideas:

Mathematics

Have the children measure out the ingredients for the recipe and pour it into their bowl. 

Make a word problem for the children to solve.  If there are __ people in our class, and the recipe makes enough food for 4 people, how many times should we make the recipe?

Explore shapes.  Have the students look at the shapes of the fruit or vegetables being used and explain what shape they look like.  Have students group them according to a similar characteristic.

Time.  Have students keep track of time while the food cooks. 

Language Arts

Reading.  Get the students to take turns reading one of the steps. 

Following directions.  Read the procedure or have students read the procedure themselves.  Allow the students to follow the directions themselves to make the food (make sure an adult helps with the cutting and actual cooking).

Writing.  Have the students write out the procedure themselves.  They then will have a copy they can each follow.

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