Whether or not you love cooking, food is something that brings people together. Cooking and baking are wonderful activities you can do with the children in your life. Not only can it be a fun sensory experience, but it actually offers many opportunities for learning! Cooking often involves following a recipe, making precise measurements (especially while baking), using specific vocabulary (food names, cooking techniques, etc.), and sometimes even learning about sequences or the chemistry of ingredients. While kids are home for the holidays, we can spend time together in the kitchen and prepare festive treats for the whole family to enjoy! I've gone through some of the cookbooks we offer here at NPL to see which ones are the best for the holiday season and for children. Here are my favorites!

Kwanzaa Karamu: Cooking and Crafts for a Kwanzaa Feast by April A. Brady

This sweet nonfiction read provides a thorough explanation of the meaning behind Kwanzaa, the African-American and Pan-African holiday created in 1966 to celebrate the heritage, culture, and resilience of Africans and their descendants who have faced centuries of oppression and marginalization. Families discuss the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the nguzo saba, lighting a candle for each on the kinara (a type of candleabra) every day of the week-long celebration. On the sixth day of Kwanzaa comes the karamu, the great feast, in which everybody brings a unique home-cooked dish and stories are shared around the table. 

There are many different types of cuisine in this book: appetizers, delicious looking soups and stews, cooked meats, salads, vegetables, and yummy desserts. Each dish lists its place of origin, including many various countries in Africa, the Caribbean islands, and the United States. Callaloo, Chapatis, Luku, Red Beans and rice, and Baked Plantain on the Shell were some of the ones that appealed to me most, though it was hard to choose favorites! Each recipe is easy to read and has less than six steps. There is also a "Cooking Smart" section that precedes the recipes, offering some helpful tips and safety precautions for young readers and their caregivers. In the back of the book, there is a Craft secion with different art activities, including a kinara tapestry and mkeka, the woven mat which is placed on the table beneath the kinara. The backmatter includes a guide to the seven principles (Nguzo saba) and a list of Kwanzaa vocabulary. I really enjoyed learning more about Kwanzaa and the recipes certainly seem kid-friendly and mouthwatering!

Hanukkah Sweets and Treats by Ronne Randall

This children's cookbook shines a light on Hanukkah traditions and provides some wonderful background information for those who may not be as familiar with this Jewish holiday. I learned in the introduction that Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights, and celebrates the strength and resilience of the Jewish people as they rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. To rededicate their temple, the Jewish people lit an oil lamp, but they only had enough oil to last for one day. The lamp miraculously stayed aglow for eight days, and this was plenty of time to procure more oil. Jewish families celebrate Hanukkah by lighting a candle on each of the eight days and by spending time with family and exchanging gifts and special foods.  

The recipes in this book are Hanukkah classics, with a few fun modern additions! There are recipes for Latkes, homemade applesauce, chocolate gelt, donuts, and more. The steps are laid out clearly, and they also provide photos of the processes involved. The author took care to make the recipes themselves look interesting and approachable for any age. There are also little blurbs with facts about Hanukkah and its history on each page, called "Happy Hanukkah Eating". I found it really neat to hear that many of the traditional foods prepared for the celebration involve frying in oil, to symbolize the miracle of the oil lamp that burned for eight days! I'm definitely making latkes in the very near future because I never realized how easy it could be.

David Atherton's Christmas Cookbook for Kids by David Atherton

Christmas is observed by families all over the world in a variety of ways. Christmastime is another celebration of light in the darkest time of the year and can be a religious or spiritual holiday for some, while for others, it is more about simply spending time around loved ones and exchanging gifts. I was excited to find this new-ish cookbook on the shelves, written by David Atherton, the winner of the 2019 Great British Baking Show. This book stands out with adorably festive illustrations by Welsh illustrator Katie Cottle. 

Not only are there tons of fun recipes inside, there are also some creative ideas for edible gifts and ways to present them (cute cardboard gift boxes, etc)! Most of the recipes are just over 10 steps and include helpful illustrations for kids to follow along with. My personal favorites from the cookbook are the Reindeer Chocolate Bark, Christmas Sweater Pizzas, Snowy Owl Cupcakes, Mini Gingerbread Village, and Stained-Glass Cookies. Some of the recipes call for a food processor. I would say that this is a wonderful book for kids who are school-aged, but younger ones could also enjoy it with the help of an adult. Many of the recipes could also be prepared by a parent and decorated by the children. 

Happy Holidays!

Regardless of which holidays you celebrate, we at NPL wish you all the coziest and happiest of holiday seasons. Looking for some other activities to do with your children over winter break? Check out some of the holiday programming we are offering at Main and other library branches in my colleague Klem-Marí's blog post here! 

May you be surrounded with people you love and delicious food!  ❄️🌲☃️🎁☕