Read, Taste, Share

When I was growing up, one of my favorite school activities was celebrating National Reading Month in March. I was an avid reader, and I relished in the chance to participate in month long challenges of how many books I had read, how many minutes I had spent reading, and other classroom contests.

Due to my love of reading, and the awesome memories surrounding National Reading Month, we have always incorporated March is Reading Month into our homeschool. This year I decided to do something different with the month. I decided to combine two of our favorite things: food and books. This year we will read books that have recipes or food-related content. We will make the recipes together and share them with our friends and neighbors.

I have created a small list of picture books, early chapter books, and middle grade books. Some of the books have actual recipes, and others give ideas of recipes to research. I have given a very brief description of each book to help the selection process. However, all are available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you are interested in finding other foodie-related books, Pinterest has many lists of ideas to help you along.

Picture Books

Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie – Robbin Gourley

This is a biographical story about African American chef, Edna Lewis who championed using fresh ingredients in her cuisine.

Goldie Luck and the Three Pandas – Natasha Yim

An adorable Chinese American retelling of “The Three Bears” focused on the Chinese New Year.

Tiny Pie – Mark Bailey

Ellie, the only child at a party, discovers a chef mouse who helps her learn the importance of ingredients.

A Fine Dessert – Emily Jenkins

This is a story about four families, over four centuries, in four different cities making a very special dessert: Blackberry Fool.

Cora Cooks Pancit – by Dorina Lazo Gilmore

Cora loves being in the kitchen, and one day she is able to be her mother’s assistant making her favorite Filipino noodle dish: Pancit.

Early Chapter Books

Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries – Donna Jo Napoli

Sly the Sleuth is a series of mystery books. This time Sylvia uses her observation and culinary skills to “cook up” new clientele.

Freckle Juice – Judy Bloom

Andrew wants freckles more than ANYTHING else in the whole world. When fellow classmate, Sharon, offers Andrew her recipe for Freckle Juice for only 50 cents, he can’t wait to get home and make the recipe.

The Chocolate Touch – Patrick Skene Catling

This is a twist on the legend of King Midas and his touch. This time instead of everything turning gold, it turns into chocolate!

How to Eat Fried Worms – Thomas Rockwell

Billy has met his match with his new bet – eat 15 worms in 15 days! A very silly and somewhat gross story that keeps readers laughing.

The Recipe for Adventure Series – Giada De Laurentiis

This is a literary series by famous Food Network star, Giada. The Bertolizzi siblings travel to famous food cities around the world and learn how food can take you places.

Middle Grade Books

A Tangle of Knots – Lisa Graff

Eleven-year-old Cady is an orphan with a wonderful talent for baking cakes. The story takes place in a slightly magical world where fate has a plan for Cady since she was born.

Pie – Sarah Weeks

Alice and her friend Charlie spend countless time devoted to finding Aunt Polly’s secret pie crust recipe.

Close to Famous – Joan Bauer

Twelve-year-old Foster dreams of having her own cooking show one day. When Foster and her mother move to the town of Culpepper they have no idea what might happen.

The Saturday Cooking Club Series – by Deborah A. Levine and Jill Ellyn Riley

Currently, there are only two books in the series: Kitchen Chaos and The Icing on the Cake. The first book has a mother-daughter dynamic. The second book focuses on a 13th birthday party.

Gingersnap – Patricia Reilly Giff

Set during World War II, Jayna sets out for Brooklyn with a little blue recipe book and her turtle with hopes of finding the family she so desperately needs.

Michelle Martin was born into a musical family and has been teaching music for over 20 years. Besides teaching piano and voice, Michelle is a performer, a choir director, a writer, a composer, and a homeschool mom. Most recently she has published three music curricula through Schoolhouse Teachers. Music has always been a passion for Michelle, and she believes exposing a child to music is just as important as learning math or science. Michelle lives with her husband, Jim, two daughters, Zoe and Eva, and a myriad of furry and aquatic friends.