Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids
Photographer: Jack McConnell
Nonfiction
For ages 8 and up
Marshall Cavendish, 2008 ISBN: 978-0761455134
In his very successful book, The International Cookbook for Kids, Matthew Locricchio
Introduced his young readers to recipes that came from China, France, Italy, and Mexico. In this second book, he explores the cuisine of Greece, India, Thailand and Brazil.
The author begins with a discussion about safety. Here he talks about how to handle food safely, how to avoid getting burned, and how to cut food so that you don't cut yourself.
This section is followed by the recipes. These are divided into seven sections and the first one is "Soups." Here young chefs will find out how to make egg and lemon soup from Greece, black bean soup from Brazil, hot and sour shrimp soup from Thailand, and more. The next section looks at appetizers, salads, and relishes. The author begins with a description of mezze, a collection of Greek appetizers that titillate the palate. There are also miniature meat pies from Brazil and spicy chicken salad.
Later we learn how to put together an entire ?Indian Feast," which includes homemade flat bread, Indian cheese, vegetable dishes, chutneys, rice, and more.
The book concludes with a list of "Essential ingredients in the kitchen" and a directory of "cooking terms, equipment, and utensils."
All in all this is an excellent book for young cooks who want to take a culinary adventure around the world. The recipes are easy to follow and very detailed - so that none of the important steps are left out – and illustrations show the young cook how to perform some of the cooking techniques described in the text. Wonderful photos throughout the book show the reader what the completed dish will look like.
