Kids Cuisine

When I was growing up, one of my favorite books was Alligator Cookies, by James Young. The book is about two children who come across their uncle’s recipe for Alligator Cookies. The recipe calls for real alligator, so they have to go out to catch one. While they’re out looking for an alligator, they come across “a long green fellow” who convinces them that they can use other things to substitute for alligator, such as peanut butter. The book ends with the recipe for Alligator Cookies, with the substitutions, of course. I loved this book so much as a child because after reading it with my mom we could make alligator cookies together. It was also perfect for show and tell, I could read the book to the class and then bring in cookies for everyone!

I recently came across another similar book, Jalapeño Bagels by Natasha Wing. This book is about a little boy whose parents own a panaderia. His mother is Hispanic and his father is Jewish, and together they make a variety of pastries. He has to pick his favorite food that they make to bring to show and tell, and he picks (after much deliberation) jalapeño bagels, because they blend both of his parent’s cultures. Like Alligator Cookies, the book ends with the recipe for jalapeño bagels.

Until I read Jalapeño Bagels, I had pretty much forgotten about Alligator Cookies. But, the memories and the revelation of what a great activity this is for families lead me to do some digging, and I found a great list on Amazon of books that end with recipes. I just think it’s such a great idea, and a wonderfully holistic experience for kids. You can find the Amazon link here, and I’d love to hear of any other books in this genre that you’ve shared with your little ones!