Plant, Cook, Eat!: A Children's Cookbook

"This effort offers budding young gardeners (and their adults) a comprehensive, hands-on guide to gardening and cooking"

In this affirming gardening and recipe book, horticulturalist Archer and food writer Craig offer a garden-to-table approach to eating. Introductory topics include seeds, soil and compost, plant reproduction, and sowing seeds both outside and indoors. Subsequent sections provide instructions and photographs detailing how to grow 16 vegetables ("Harvest once the leaves die back and you can see the swollen onions"). Recipes follow the descriptions of planting and harvesting each vegetable: kale pesto pasta, cranberry bean burgers, chocolate beet cake, and other dishes. Color photographs of children eating and gardening appear throughout. With an easy-to-read presentation and thorough details, Archer and Craig put the power to grow and prepare food in readers' hands while driving home connections between what we grow and what we eat. Ages 7-10. (Mar.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-7--This colorful instructional guide to planting and cooking vegetables offers a wide range of healthy recipes and gardening tips for kids. The opening pages detail what plants need to grow, how seeds germinate, how to sow seeds indoors and compost, and other related topics, all presented in a clean layout accompanied by color photographs. The authors include several helpful suggestions, such as using glass jars to protect young seedlings from birds, or planting lavender and buddleia near a garden to attract bees. The "Let's Get Started" section, which makes up the bulk of the book, features spreads on how to grow particular types of vegetables, followed by a related recipe. Dishes include potato pancakes, kale pesto pasta, onion soup, pea gnocchi, bean burgers, and chocolate beet cake. The recipes are presented with clear step-by-step instructions and photos of the finished product, and generally call for fresh, easy-to-find ingredients. Many pages note interesting facts about the nutrients or medicinal uses of different vegetables. VERDICT This attractive, well-organized guide to gardening and cooking would make a strong addition to most library collections.--Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A horticulturalist (from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, no less) and a food writer partner to produce a kid-friendly guide to growing and preparing food. Their collaboration is packed with all the basic information would-be green thumbs need to start a garden. They'll learn about the importance of soil health and composting, tools and equipment, as well as wildlife friends and foes. After a brief intro to plant anatomy and reproduction, the book walks kids through the tasks necessary throughout the growing cycle, from sowing and planting, watering and weeding, to, finally, harvesting. Whether gardening in the backyard, in containers or window boxes, or in a community-garden allotment, tips and tricks galore demonstrate how easy it is. Kids can then delight in transforming home-grown produce into delicious meals. Step-by-step growing guides to individual vegetables precede recipes. Learn how to grow tomatoes before making tomato, feta, and basil pizza or peas for pea gnocchi. All the recipes are simple, tasty, and definitely not boring! This book shares a tactic valued by parents in the know—kids are typically actively excited to eat the foods they grow and cook themselves, thus cultivating healthy eating habits. Vibrant photographs featuring culturally diverse youngsters, sprightly decorative illustrations, and a well-organized layout make the book easy to digest and enjoyable to read. In the back, suggestions for growing varieties and a plant glossary take away the guesswork. Part gardening how-to, part healthy cookbook, this effort offers budding young gardeners (and their adults) a comprehensive, hands-on guide to gardening and cooking.
—Kirkus Reviews STARRED review

An ideal do-it-yourself instruction guide and manual for children ages 7 to 10, and collaborative compiled by Joe Archer (who is head Horticulturalist at England's Kew Cardens) and Caroline Craig (a food writer from London), "Plant, Cook, Eat!: A Children's Cookbook" is replete with vibrant photo-illustrations and clearly organized sections. Young readers will discover how to plant seeds in patio containers, window boxes, or on an allotment; harvest fruits and vegetables; determine which plant parts are edible; spot pests in the garden; and use home-grown crops to cook everything from bean and bacon spaghetti to polenta chips to tomato, feta, and basil pizza. Thoroughly 'kid friendly' in organization and presentation, "Plant, Cook, Eat!: A Children's Cookbook" is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections.
—Midwest Book Review