Quarantine and social distancing during the pandemic has disrupted daily schedules for everyone—but especially for families with young children. Whether adult caregivers are workers making daily commutes while finding childcare, or trying to juggle enrichment activities for bored children with their own at-home work, habits around play, family togetherness, and work-life balance can be thrown totally out of wack. Still, everyone’s got to eat—and early surveys show that since the start of the pandemic, a variety of causes have led to more Americans cooking from home. It’s a great idea for families with kids to cook and eat together. 

Why?

• Studies find that people who cook at home consume more fruits and vegetables and have healthier eating habits. Parental modeling of healthy nutrition improves kids’ health outcomes.

• With so many of children’s learning and social experiences relocated online, cooking provides hands-on learning—young children can practice motor skills, learn to anticipate cause and effect, and plan kitchen setup and clean up. This article at Happy Healthy Eating for Kids lists age-appropriate cooking tasks for children at different developmental stages. 

• Social time together centered on a project encourages teamwork.

• Children can learn about a caregiver’s history and culture through food.

• With the right attitude, cooking can be a great way to model patience, adaptability, learning through mistakes, and the benefits of planning. Setting expectations, starting with simple recipes, and adapting to kids’ interests helps.

• At a time when many sources of social affirmation are absent for both children and adults, cooking something new can be a way of building self-esteem around new skills.

Safety comes first. This article from the American Academy of Pediatrics explains how to involve children safely in preparing food.

Cooking vegetables or grains, or throwing out eggshells? Check out GrowNYC’s page on how you can continue to compost, even as many city compost sites have closed. 

When you’re ready to get cooking, it’s good to have books on hand to affirm that kids can and should be part of the kitchen. These titles center on food and food production and are entertaining for kids of all ages. Here’s a list of great kids’ kitchen books—and what they bring to the table.

Picture Books

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua (ages 4-8)

• Features depiction of a Chinese-American family cooking together as Amy learns to make traditional bao.
• Describes problem-solving: adapting recipes so children can participate (Amy's bao is small, because her hands are small).
• Cartoonish, cute illustrations throughout—and an easy-to-follow recipe at the back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (ages 4-8)

• Shows a neighborhood growing food in an urban environment, reclaiming unused space to produce food for the community.
• For families that compost or visit farmers’ markets, this book can help children understand how food is produced, and why people care about local produce.
• Rhyming meter allows for a fun storytime to go with fresh vegetables and fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank (ages 1-6)

• Bright blues and browns and vivid details bring life to a West African market and to Baby, strapped to Mama’s back with a cloth wrap.
• Exciting, varied African snacks introduce children to tasty-sounding foods.
• Baby is a part of selecting foods at market; children have agency over the food they eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Threads: Adam’s Day At The Market by Huda Essa, illustrated by Mercé Tous (ages 1-4)

• Limited text and rich details of market stalls, crowds, and architecture provoke discussion and exploration. This is great for children’s pre-reading skills.
• Many visual parallels are drawn between people’s clothing and foods-- Adam mistakes a nun in a habit for his mother in hijab, and illustrations emphasize other similarities between clothing.
• Depicts a diverse, cosmopolitan community with many kinds of people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (ages 4-8)

• Diverse Native families and children prepare fry bread as adults narrate the history and different preparations of this staple food born of hardship, oppression and colonization.
• Warm colors and family scenes emphasize the central place of food and oral history in indigenous communities.
• Depictions of children helping prepare food--and getting to enjoy it-- communicate the pleasures of taking on responsibility for new tasks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Day With Yayah by Nicola I. Campbell, illustrated by Julie Flett (Ages 4-8)

• Three siblings spend a day with their grandmother harvesting wild rhubarb, celery, and lightning mushrooms while their grandmother teaches them words in Nlaka'pamux, the language of the indigenous people of the Nicola Valley in British Columbia.
• Emphasizes the connection between families, language, land, and food: if you know where food comes from and how to prepare it, you can connect to your ancestors.
• Soft paper-cut pastel images depict plants and animals in the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salsa by Jorge Argueta, illustred by Duncan Tonatiuh, translated by Elisa Amado (ages 6-12)

• Bilingual text and illustrations based in traditional Mayan and Aztec art illuminate a salsa recipe from start to finish.
• Muted red tones make the whole book resemble the titular sauce.
• Poetry and food-- a perfect match!

School Age

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love Sugar Magic by Anna Meriano, illustrations by Mirelle Ortega (ages 6-12)

• Leonora longs to help with her family’s Mexican bakery, especially around Dio de los Muertos. But she’s told she’s too young. When she tries to spy on her family, she realizes that her sisters are all brujas—they have magical powers they put into the sweets they sell!
• When she discovers she’s a bruja, too, Leonora decides to try out one little spell. What could go wrong?
• Discuss how certain tasks and kinds of participation come with responsibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brave Chef Brianna by Sam Sykes, illustrated by Selina Espiritu (ages 10+)

• Brianna, baker extraordinaire, can only afford rent in Monster City-- but monsters hate human food. Can her business survive anyway?
• Graphic novel full of strange monsters and intricate backgrounds--plus delicious treats
• Coming-of-age narrative about independence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Space Battle Lunchtime by Natalie Riess (ages 10+)

• When Peony gets a chance to compete in the intergalactic culinary competition Space Battle Lunchtime, she jumps at it-- because the prize is nothing to sniff at. But has she bitten off more than she can chew?
• Great for fans of Cutthroat Kitchen and other competitive cooking shows, this mixes action and sports themes with weird and delicious culinary treats
• Emphasizes the universal value of food.

To Try For the Whole Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cook Korean! A Comic Book with Recipes By Robin Ha

• Comics make recipe methods easy to visually follow—and look delicious!
• Great introduction to Korean ingredients and their context—search through an illustrated fridge to find labeled ingredients, or review a recipe step by step.
• Families can discuss Ha’s anecdotes about cooking and food and use it to discuss their own food life and cultural context.

 

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations