Larrew

So. This turned out to be a cookbook for young adults. I say young "adult" because there are sharp knives, frying oil and a hot stove involved. Kids definitely need to be supervised while following the recipes if they are under the age of 8 or 9 years old. True to its title, the first recipe is a banana berry smoothie. It then moves on to other typical treats like muffins and pancakes. I thought the entire was well laid out and incredibly cute. It even had a little index. I liked the show more photographs of the tools needed for each recipe and the trivia facts were fun, too. Did you know Pancake Day is on Shrove Tuesday? show less

What better way to get ready for Halloween festivities than with a tasty semi-homemade treat? "Wormy Apple Croissants and Other Halloween Recipes" offers kids and their parents a selection of ten sweet and savory snacks to make and eat. Recipes are rated easy (✰), medium (✰✰), and advanced (✰✰✰); thus, making it helpful in choosing a project for your child's cooking level. However, it would have been even better if the recipes also appeared in the book according to cooking level show more from the easiest to the most difficult.

The recipes clearly list both the ingredients and the tools required so that you can have everything ready before you begin. The author includes glossaries for both words and tools. Plus, there is information on kitchen safety, a metric conversion guide, and an index.

The Bottom Line: This Halloween themed cookbook is full of fun recipes for beginning cooks. Choose from Spooky Ghost Pops, Blood and Guts Nachos, Witchy Wands, Green swamp Punch and more for to delight little monsters who may happen by. Author Brekka Hervey Larrew uses easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions for her recipes, and each recipe includes a full color photograph of the finished product and tasty tips. The recipes would have been even better if the author had included information on preparation time. Also, sometimes the author uses the phrase "serving size" to indicate how many items the recipe makes rather than how many to eat per person which can be confusing. All in all these scary (and tasty) holiday snacks are sure to be a hit with kids in grade school and middle school. Also, recommended for party settings. Note: Adult supervision is required to make these treats.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog: http://minibookbytes.blogspot.com/ show less

My daughter (9) brought home this book from the school library because she was interested in making smoothies. And indeed, this book was written with kids in mind. The author writes in the introduction:

"You just woke up, and your stomach is growling. It has been hours since you've eaten. While it might be easy to pour a bowl of cereal, you're looking for something tastier. This book has plenty of fun and delicious recipes. Soon you'll be scrambling eggs, frying bacon, or slicing fruit. show more Before long your stomach will be full, and you'll have enough energy to last all morning."

Recipes include:

Banana-Berry Smoothies
Cheese and sausage Omelet
Sugar and Spice Banana Bread
Red, White, and Blue Parfaits
Sunny Biscuit Bites
Berry Fizzy Pancakes
Stuffed French Toast
Bacon-Cheddar Rollups
Crispy Apple Strudel
Chocolate Chip Muffins

Besides that, there are sections on Kitchen Safety, info on Tools, a glossary, conversion chart and best of all-- a Easy-Difficulty guide. Recipes range from easy to medium to advanced.

Now, given that my daughter is 9 and there is slicing and frying involved in this book, I'd say the target audience is kids-and-parents, or teens.

Talking Points:::
A kid-friendly book that breaks cooking down into understandable terms. There is something for almost every level. There's an easy smoothie recipe, medium difficulty omelet recipe, and more complicated Berry Fizzy pancakes.

The presentation is colorful and attractive.

We've tried the Chocolate chip muffins and they were good. Because 1 cup of chips seemed like alot for 12 muffins we cut back by half. Next time we'll probably cut back on sugar topping as well because it was very sweet. But we will definitely make them again.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at my blog show less