Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up. - book reviews

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 1995 by Diane Krstulovich

NEVER BEFORE have I come across the sort of praise for a cookbook that this one garnered from its testers: "While I was eating the soup my tooth fell out," and "It's bubbling! And the bubbles are really strong, and they're making the stuff move!" Then again, never before have I encountered a book like Pretend Soup, which was written for and tested by preschoolers.

Each of the 19 recipes in the book is presented in two forms: The standard listing of ingredients and instructions for adults, and a pictorial version for kids. Katzen and Henderson also provide useful information for making the cooking project a success. They explain how to set up the workspace, which ingredients should be prepared ahead of time, and what parts of the project are best done with a little adult assistance. Each recipe is accompanied by Katzen's colorful paintings of whimsical animals, and cute and appropriate comments from the numerous preschool testers and tasters.

My 4-year-old daughter's enthusiasm for this book led us to test recipes on children and adults alike, with very positive results. Chocolate-Banana Shakes, made with milk, bananas, a little cocoa and some ice cubes, were a big hit, as was the Homemade Lemon-Lime Soda Pop, which is sweetened with apple juice concentrate. The Hide and Seek Muffins, named for the fresh fruit that disappears while baking and reappears while eating, were very tasty.

Bagel faces satisfied budding artistic talents and curious taste buds: My daughter and her friends spread cream cheese on bagel halves, then made them into faces by decorating the tops with fresh vegetables. And the biggest hit in the entire collection was Green Spaghetti. It begins with plucking fresh basil leaves from their stems and peeling garlic cloves to make a pesto sauce; the results are delicious--and good enough for (adult) company.

Pretend Soup can help you teach your child--and perhaps yourself--to cook. But be aware that even though, as Katzen points out, children tend to be surprisingly cautious while working in the kitchen, accidents can happen--particularly burns. Burns happen most often after the stove is turned off, when a still-hot skillet no longer seems something to be cautious about.

An excellent educational supplement is also available from Tricycle Press (a division of Ten Speed Press) for preschool teachers. It gives instructions for setting up a classroom kitchen, discusses why cooking should be incorporated into the curriculum and provides a helpful reading list. Parents also may benefit from ordering this supplement and offering to do a cooking session in their child's classroom. Many of the recipes don't require cooking and are most fun in a group setting. Instructions for ordering this supplement are in the book.

Pretend Soup is a great way to engage your child in a project that's educational, creative and delicious. As one of the testers says, "Good! Very good! So really very good!"