Moms: Dish out fun in the kitchen with cookbooks and recipes just for kids

Open your own culinary school in the kitchen by exploring some of the recipes in these easy-to-follow cookbooks for kids. With these recipes, your family can learn new skills and travel the world — all for a few dollars.

"The Spatulatta Cookbook"

by Isabella and Olivia Gerasole

Scholastic, 2007

For ages: 8 and up

Given the James Beard Award for Excellence, this cookbook stars Liv and Belle — two grade-school-age girls who have taught kids to cook online. The book starts out discussing basic skills that chefs need for the kitchen. Moms and dads will be pleased that new chefs are reminded to wash their hands thoroughly before beginning. They're also reminded of the importance of a well-set table. Other basics such as measuring ingredients and separating eggs are shown with bright photographs, allowing readers to understand how things should look. Tools used in the kitchen are also shown.

Recipes are divided into seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall; there's an additional chapter focusing on vegetarian recipes and snacks. Some recipes have literary influences. For example, in winter we are encouraged to make a bowl of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and "Stone Soup." In the spring chapter, the girls show readers how to make a bunny-shaped salad with a pear body and carrot ears. In summer, the girls show how to make a fresh blueberry pie and how to make weenie dogs out of hot dogs. Fall includes recipes of hearty meals such as black bean chili and harvest soup. All recipes have mouth-watering photographs of the food being prepared, inspiring little chefs of every age.

"Around the World Cookbook"

by Abigail Johnson Dodge

DK Publishing, 2008

For ages: 8 and up