Make and Do: Bake by Kathleen King

Make and Do: Bake by Kathleen King
Buy Make and Do: Bake by Kathleen King at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Children's Non-Fiction
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: A great introduction to one of life's great skills in a well-thought-out format. Highly recommended.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 24	Date: April 2012
Publisher: Priddy Books
ISBN: 978-1849154383
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I love the idea of kids cooking. There's going to be mess, probably a bit of waste and you're going to have to bite your tongue an awful lot, but it really is the most amazing fun. Best of all, though - from an early age kids learn that they can go into the kitchen and make something which they can eat. They don't need to go to the shops and buy a ready meal or to a takeaway for junk food. They can make something themselves. It's a life skill.

Make and Do: Bake is a great introduction. It begins with some instruction on basic techniques such as chopping, creaming, folding, whisking, beating and peeling. There's nothing complicated and it's all done in language which is going to be accessible to a child. At the top of each page there are tips about how easy a recipe is and how long it will take to make. You can even find out if what's made is good to freeze - but I've yet to find anything cooked by a child which lasted that long!

There are twenty recipes - all tried and tested - and my immediate reaction was that there's a lot of sweet food in there but it's deceptive. The recipe for carrot muffins is spicy, but not overly sweet and would make a good addition to a lunchbox as would healthy bran muffins. There is sweet food - but then that's a lot of what baking is about when you're a kid - and such things as the chocolate fudge cupcakes are described as a party treat. As well as cupcakes and muffins you'll find recipes for cookies, brownies, breads, cakes and a pie.

There's a lovely twist to the book - it has an inbuilt easel so that it stands neatly on the working surface. No more holding the recipe book open with the salt and pepper pots or a rolling pin and as the pages have a wipe-clean surface the inevitable splashes won't be permanent. It's a quality book which could prove to be a real investment.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

The youngest readers might appreciate Peas! by Andy Cullen and Simon Rickerty which looks at the vegetable from seed to tummy. How to Make Money: Smart Ways to Make Millions by Christopher Edge suggests that baking and selling cookies might be a start on the road to that first million!

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You can read more book reviews or buy Make and Do: Bake by Kathleen King at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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