The Caboodle Cookbook

Linda Perry is a senior policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of
Colleges and Universities.

This instructive book teaches children about both cooking and nutrition.
The early pages point out that kids can do a lot of important learning
in the kitchen—not just about six ways to dish up popcorn but about
such things as measurement, following instructions, sequential planning,
and sensible eating habits.

While the illustrations (replete with stuffed toys and bedtime stories)
are geared to a younger audience, the recipes and nutritional
information are suitable for older children as well. The book combines
fanciful recipes with illustrations, safety tips, and practical kitchen
rules. Cooking is treated as a life skill, as essential for boys as it
is for girls.

The fun of the Cestnik approach to cooking is in the overall
presentation. For example, “Dinosaur Dinner” is a volcano of meat
loaf and potato, surrounded by a spinach swamp sauce and decorated with
a sparkler in its “crater.” Nutritionally, as the illustrated mouse
Ozwald assures the reader, this dish is particularly “dino-mite”
with Vitamin A, folic acid, and calcium. The accompanying illustration
shows how the dish should look, and, to enhance their appetites, also
shows a dinosaur costume that kids can easily assemble with a blanket.

The children I consulted enjoyed the book as a reader, quite apart from
the cooking activities. The illustrations employ a number of very
appealing devices, such as a “J” hidden in each picture as a
hallmark of the artist. A tone of comforting warmth, a genuine fondness
for children, and a commitment to nurturing breathes through the pages
of this book.