NNFN2024: The Kids’ Easy Air Fryer Cookbook

Some people love cooking, others do it because they have to, some avoid it like the plague. Unless it’s making cakes, I am very much of the last category. However, ‘The Kid’s Easy Air Fryer Cookbook’ might just have me converted!

The 50 recipes offered here are organised into breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sides and desserts, with an index included at the end to allow for the quick location of a favourite food. An introduction explains how air fryers work and how to use them safely as well as offering some tips for success! Symbols throughout the book indicate whether recipes are gluten free, vegetarian or vegan whilst colour photos make them all look delicious!

I was surprised by the variety of dishes which can be made using an air fryer. Offering plenty of choice, each recipe has clear instructions, clearly showing where children should ask for help, with additional tips and suggestions for varying the dish. The lemon drizzle cupcakes were a huge success - easy to make, delicious to eat! Perfect for aspiring chefs and cooking-refusers alike, this book is wonderful for everyone!

The Kids’ Easy Air Fryer Cookbook

Sally Morgan

Scholastic ISBN: 978-0702339349

Alice Éclair: A Dash of Daring

When an ingenious cipher machine, capable of converting messages into unreadable code in seconds, and its creator go missing, Alice Éclair finds herself once more in the thick of the action, this time at the Olympic training camp, where the daughter of the missing machine maker is getting ready to compete in the cycling events. Working undercover- and facing the challenges of creating healthy desserts- in the Olimpic kitchens, Alice is determined to solve the case.

This is the fourth and – I hate to say it- final book in the incredibly popular series about the clever, creative and kind-hearted, Alice Éclair, everyone’s favourite spy Every bit as delicious as its predecessors, ‘A Dash of Daring’ offers a very satisfying conclusion.

The story is packed with the usual clues and red herrings which make solving the case so enjoyable and there is plenty of code breaking to tickle the tastebuds. Developing relationships, coming to understand others and overcoming barriers are things which Alice is good at and once again, she makes new friends and meets up with some old ones as she rises to the challenges of the case and faces her nemesis.

Adele, the Olympic cyclist, has a twin, Hugo, a talented designer, who happens to be in a wheelchair. Having taken guidance from a fellow author, Sarah Todd Taylor offers a sensitive, accurate portrayal of his experiences, seamlessly adding this to the story, but greatly enriching the understanding and empathy of readers in the process.

An excellent conclusion to an excellent series!

Alice Éclair: A Dash of Daring

Sarah Todd Taylor, illustrated by Beatriz Castro

Nosy Crow    ISBN: ‎ 978-1839948879

Published 6th June

You can read my review of ‘A Spoonful of Spying’ here and ‘A Sprinkling of Danger’ here.

NNFN2023: Chews Your Own Tasty Adventure

Day five of National Non-Fiction November 2023 and we’re cooking on gas!

There are cookery books for children - and then there is this cookery book! ‘Chews Your Own Tasty Adventure’ is a highly engaging, creative approach to cooking and baking which allows the reader to choose (or chews!) their own culinary adventure.

My son used to love the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ series when he was younger which called upon the reader to make decisions at key points of the story, giving him a sense of involvement. This cookery book works along similar lines, challenging the reader to take make choices which will alter the final dish! The book starts by introducing the ingredients used in the book, starting with flour. Having offered a bit of historical background, a fun fact or two and a little rhyme about each, the reader is then asked to either make a choice- hot or cold, sweet or savoury- or at a point where they have all the required ingredients, to head to a recipe.

There are sweet and savoury treats included here, each a vegetarian recipe. A short introduction offers a little background information- perhaps how to pronounce a name, a little about their origin and the ingredients, all building a young cook’s knowledge of the ingredients and recipes they are using and encouraging them to engage with food, have fun with cooking and enjoy the experience. There are tips and bonus recipes to discover along the way and at the end of each recipe are are page numbers for the reader to choose the final element of their recipe!

A comprehensive glossary, an index of recipes and a recipe index (covering the ingredients) make this a very user-friendly book as well as something exciting and different- a great gift to give- not just for a child, but for a whole family to explore and share. The use of fun, bright illustrations is another stroke of genius as the usual photographs of unattainable perfection in a cookery book can be really off-putting!

A really fun and engaging way of encouraging an interest in, knowledge and enjoyment of the food we eat, ‘Chews Your Own Tasty Adventure’ is a real winner!

Chews Your Own Tasty Adventure

Dr Sai Pathmanathan, illustrated by Lucia Vinti

Faber ISBN: 978-0571370641

You can read more from Dr Sai Pathmanathan in the piece she wrote as part of the NNFN2023 celebrations on the FCBG website.

Faruq and the Wiri Wiri

There was no better smell in the world than Ajee’s cook-up rice.

Faruq longs to be a chef when he grows up, but his family expect him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor. However, Mrs Joseph from next door offers to teach him to cook, starting with lime cookies ‘cause they easy peasy’. Every day, he slips through the fence and learns to cook, learning about new ingredients including the wiri wiri pepper and how to handle it carefully. When Ajee falls ill one day, Faruq decides to prepare lunch for his family. Cooking for his family fills Faruq’s heart with love and opens his family’s eyes to a different plan for his future.

This lovely story is a real celebration of family, food - and the importance of following your dreams. Faruq has a real passion for cooking and it is a joy to see him helping Ajee in the kitchen, preparing food for his family. His question, ‘Why can’t boys learn to cook?’ offers an excellent starting point for discussion about finding and developing passions and pursuits which follow interests regardless of pressure or influence to the contrary.

The story is rich in family love and a real celebration of Guyanese culture, even including a recipe for lime cookies- a treat which just begs to be baked and enjoyed and spreading Faruq’s joy in cooking! The illustrations are bright, colourful and engaging, showing the joys of cooking, eating and family life- all the ingredients needed to accompany this delicious story!

Faruq and the Wiri Wiri: A Celebration of family and food!

Sophia Payne, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

Templar ISBN: 978-1800782624