Do your kiddos love all things yummy-in-the-tummy? Picture book authors and illustrators are fans, too! After all, who isn’t into crispy-crust pizzas, melt-in-your-mouth casseroles, and deliciously gooey desserts? Picking only five note-worthy food-related picture books definitely wasn’t the easiest of tasks!
Nevertheless, here’s a list of diverse picture books that celebrate food – some moving, some funny, and others totally whimsical:
1. Bilal Cooks Daal
Age range: 2-7 Type: picture book
At first glance this book is about a six-year-old who really wants to make his favorite South Asian legume stew for his friends. At a deeper level, it’s also about patience (this signature dish takes time!), but – more importantly – sharing your roots and family traditions with those who don’t necessarily know a lot about them. Bilal’s initial fear of his friends’ reaction to the daal (“Will they like it?” he wonders) in the end turns out to be unwarranted – Morgan and Elias not only don’t mock the dish, they love it! What a relief.
This highly relatable, extremely well written story will tug at your heartstrings and be a great addition to the TBR pile not only for immigrant children, but… well, frankly, everyone! Bonus points for the character of Bilal’s dad, a South Asian man confident enough to challenge the stereotypes and reign the kitchen.
2. Dragons Love Tacos
This title is an undeniable classic, a delightfully whimsical fun! The premise is simple but endearing: there are dragons, and then – there are tacos.
What is an absolute no-no for the dragons though? Yes, you’ve guessed it… Spicy salsa! So if you wanted dragons to attend your party (parties = another dragons favorite!), you would definitely serve tacos, but NOT spicy salsa. Only mild ingredients allowed! However, our protagonist, a boy who throws a dragon party, accidentally puts the… Well, I won’t spoil it here, but – as you might imagine – the effect is both outlandish and hilarious.
The book’s incredibly high level of silliness will surely be a source of many a giggle and resonate strongly with kids – as proven by the book’s phenomenal sales and its New York Times bestseller status.
3. A Pizza With Everything On It
Age range: 3-7 Type: picture book
But let’s start at the beginning… When our protagonist’s dad agrees to make a ‘pizza with everything on it’, the son gets excited! The process starts with adding signature ingredients (different types of cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes, sausage, peppers) only to quickly escalate (how about pickles, boiled eggs, apples or… an entire turkey?), and escalate some more (how about some… books, pencils, chairs, a rolling pin?). But the story doesn’t end there – soon, the pizza has even the White House on it! Not long after, however, something goes terribly wrong… and as a result, dad and son get launched into space! Before they come back home, they’ll have even more adventures.
In all of its oddity and zaniness, there’s a method to this madness. If your kiddos enjoy ridiculous scenarios, this will be a perfect read for them!
4. Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao
Age range: 4-8 Type: picture book
Making the perfect bao is no easy feat, and Amy Wu can attest to that. She has tried to accomplish the task multiple times before – with no success. This time she’s shadowing her family members, once more attempting to break her unlucky streak.
This beautifully illustrated book documents the whole process with warmth and humor. It’s lovely to see how her initial frustration gets replaced with pride – working with a smaller piece of dough, Amy is finally able to make the bao of her dreams: not too empty, not too fat, without holes or leaks. But guess what? Her grandma boils all of her previously attempted baos as well. It turns out… they taste just as good!
5. Kalamata’s Kitchen
Age range: 4-8 Type: picture book
A few pages before the story begins, the book opens with the really moving Taste Bud Pledge, which goes like this: “I promise to keep my mind open and my fork ready, to try each new food at least two times, and to share what’s on my plate when someone doesn’t have enough.” If this doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, I don’t know what will!
The story proper is equally touching: before her first day at a new school where she doesn’t know anyone, Kalamata is nervous and misses the Indian market she visited with her parents while on vacation. She was scared of it at first, but the smells, and scents, and colors managed to put her at ease. Now she believes that’s the way to combat back-to-school jitters. In order to remind her how brave she really is, her mom decides to make her a signature Indian comfort dish – daal.