Growing genre of cookbooks for children

by cynthia yoo | May 14, 2008 at 01:46 pm

1677 views | 11 Recommendations | 23 comments

A NYT piece explored the growing popularity of cookbooks for tikes.

Cookbooks that "dumb-down" recipes for kids or are mainly based on tried-and-true favourites like mac&cheese are being replaced by more sophisticated books catering to health-conscious and ethnic palates.

But that is changing, as parents who have a keen interest in cooking encourage their young children to spend time in the kitchen and new titles take a more sophisticated approach to children’s food. Although no one tracks overall sales of cookbooks aimed at children, some retailers say that sales have shot up. Readers too young to drive don’t yet have their own “Joy of Cooking,” but publishers are looking everywhere for it. And a number of cooking celebrities have joined in, too.
“It’s not like the books didn’t exist five years ago, but they were very introductory, very dessert driven, or very one-size-fits-all,” said Melanie Rhodes, a children’s book buyer for Borders, where sales of children’s cookbooks have jumped by a third in the past year. “What we’re seeing now are publishers who are a little more tuned into the real food audience.”

If there is a flaw in all this expansion, it’s that some cookbook authors have swung from the simple to the complex.

“We’re seeing some books that are trying to do too much,” said Gillian Engberg, an editor who specializes in books for young people at Booklist, the journal of the American Library Association. She said that some books contain so much information about nutrition or gardening that they might try the already limited patience of young cooks.

But she isn’t too critical of overly ambitious books, because they represent a return to the kitchen. “We are seeing more of these because people are growing more knowledgeable about food,” she said. “Cooking together represents a pause, a chance for families to come together.”

There are also less cozy motives, like money. Children’s cooking gear sells well, as Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table have discovered. Television cooking shows seem to have a magic hold over children, and children’s cooking Web sites continue to pop up. All of that has book editors looking for the genre’s pot of gold. But a breakaway hit remains elusive.

“It’s an area publishers aren’t steady on the ground with yet,” said Bill LeBlond, the editorial director for food and wine at Chronicle Books. “We all have the sense that the audience is out there, but we just can’t figure it out.”

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azzayindia

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 20:33 on May 14th, 2008

cynthia yoo, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Beaulieu

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 02:06 on May 15th, 2008

cynthia yoo, I like this story. It's good stuff.

I remember my interest in cooking started by reading a 'children's cook book'. The recipes were tasty and fun. Then I started 'serious' cookery lessons at school 'with dreary recipes' and had a horrible teacher and that quickly killed my enthusiasm.. until now... when I also cook 'for fun'. Cake decorating is a lot of fun and that's also quite sophisticated. It is also a work of art, of expression. However, I think there is a lot of 'sophisticated cookery' that is too boring and the 'fun' is being knocked out of it. I also do a cookery blog.. and it all started with a children's cookery book and I never learned anything from my mother!

Beaulieu

at 02:08 on May 15th, 2008

There's nothing wrong with mac cheese and spag bol! That's cooking 'for the soul'.

LBrads

at 08:47 on May 15th, 2008

"Cooking For One It's A Piece Of Sauce" by Lloyd T. Bradbury. This cookbook is written in simple and informal language with humor and a direct approach to cooking. Each recipe is simple and has a "Difficulty Scale" grading system. There is a list of kitchen tools needed for the preparation of each and the cookbook closes with "Helpful Hints and Ideas". The cookbook is featured in "Google Book Search" http://books.google.com/ and is available through Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/. For more information visit the website, http://www.onecookbook.com/.

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Serra55

at 09:12 on May 15th, 2008

You may use my photo. I'd like to see follow up! Great idea for a child's cookbook.

Sally B.
Adamstown, PA 17569

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slambo

at 09:29 on May 15th, 2008

A cookbook published by the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad containing recipes that were served aboard the trains in Colorado.

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caednkat

at 09:43 on May 15th, 2008

An awesome cookbook, that my son the picky eater has already made a list of recipes he would be willing to try. All of those recipes include vegetable and whole grains!!!

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Marion Doss

at 13:38 on May 15th, 2008

Been years since I've eaten this it was always one of my favorites.

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limegreenfrog

at 19:05 on May 15th, 2008

My brother-in-laws birthday cake. My 5 year old daughter was so proud that she made the crushed graham cracker & chocolate chip topping.

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Giggleicious

at 23:30 on May 15th, 2008

Yummy Chocolate & Cherry cake and a cup of hot tea.

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zwergenprinzessin

at 02:07 on May 16th, 2008

the recipes for the cakes on my photos can be found at www.zwergenprinzessin.com {ge}!

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kosenrufu mama

at 04:22 on May 16th, 2008

i baked this birthday's cake for my daoughter Daphne we did together, she decorated it, the recipe is from "cooking with kids" of linda collister

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yapham1

at 04:36 on May 16th, 2008

A Walnut and Coffee cake made in Cambridge, England. It tasted great!

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exile in suburbia

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 05:03 on May 16th, 2008

cynthia yoo, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Kenny Carwash

at 05:50 on May 16th, 2008

This is the birthday cake a very hungover Bez made for his girlfriend. They say it's the thought that counts!

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Captain Spoons

at 06:14 on May 16th, 2008

nomable banana bread is good for using up not so nomable brown bananas, or as my dad calls them - browning sticks.

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EricBRsp

at 07:33 on May 16th, 2008

I hope you enjoy, it is really very popular in Brazil. Try and tell me.

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lilfish1

at 13:49 on May 17th, 2008

Blueberry coffee cake made in Maryland. Recipe from "Cooking Light" May 2008 issue.

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moderngirlskitchen

at 13:51 on May 17th, 2008

http://www.moderngirlskitchen.com

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moderngirlskitchen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:53 on May 17th, 2008

cynthia yoo, I like this story. It's good stuff!

momentai_lah

at 17:34 on May 21st, 2008

Super easy lemon cakes.

Coincidentally, they're also really healthy and don't have that much sugar in them because my 8 (and a half) year old brother complains when things are too sweet.