Author in the Kitchen

Authors in the Kitchen:
Recipes, Stories, and More

by Sharron L. McElmeel with Deborah L. McElmeel
Published by Libraries Unlimited

Fifty entries featuring some of the best authors/illustrators are included in this up-to-date reference book with connections to favorite foods, books, and tales from the lives of the authors/illustrators.  An extraordinary book that will delight those who love children's books, those who love to cook, and those that just enjoy anecdotes about people and their food.

Step into the kitchen and stir up a batch of storybook treats with 50 literary recipes based on the books and lives of 50 of your favorite children's authors and illustrators, including Eric Carle, Mary Casanova, Keiko Kasza, Steven Kellogg, Yuyi Morales, Janet Stevens, and Jane Yolen and 40 others. Whip up a heavenly coconut cream cake enjoyed in Jacqueline Briggs Martin's recent story, On Sand Island; savor the spicy pumpkin pie inspired by Toni Buzzeo's Sea Chest. You'll also learn some fascinating facts about each author and read anecdotes and stories connected with the recipes. Biographical details, author photographs, book lists, and reading connections make this a perfect resource for library, classroom, and home. A great gift for booklovers. What a delicious way to learn about authors and their books!

SHARRON L. McELMEEL is a renowned author and an instructor of Children's and Young Adult Literature at University of Wisconsin-Stout. A literacy consultant and columnist, she was named Iowa Reading Teacher of the Year in 1987, and in 2004 she received the Iowa Reading Association's State Literacy Award in recognition of her lifelong efforts to build literacy and literature appreciation in the community. Her columns appear regularly in Library Sparks and in School Library Media Activities Monthly.

DEBORAH L. MCELMEEL, a gourmet cook, earned a graduate degree in science from the University of Iowa and uses her extensive knowledge of chemistry and food to create (and test) these delicious recipes.  She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.


From morning till night, sounds drift from the kitchen, most of them familiar and comforting....
Frontispiece for Authors in the Kitchen
On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it.
--E.B.White  (1899-1985)
Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories, and More

Reviews:

From pickles to potato salad, bumblebee stew to pumpkin pie pizzazz, your mouth will be watering while you’re on your way to the store for the ingredients and to the library to get the books by these 50 authors that cook. A wide range of recipes are offered: a fruit & nut salad from Dan Gutman, Yuyi Morales’ homemade tortillas and quesadillas and Wolf’s (of Wolf’s Chicken Stew fame) chocolate chip cookies from Keiko Kasza too! You’ll also find the stories behind the recipes, author photos and biographical details, reading connections and booklists. A yummy book all around.(Grades 4 and up – grownups too! )—Miss Kitty at the Westport (Connecticut) Public Library.

An extraordinary book that will delight those who love children’s books, those who love to cook, and those that just enjoy anecdotes about people and their food.—"Libraryclerk" Fort Wayne Library News<>

Here is a winner for anyone doing author studies and wanting to connect children to food through specific authors' books. McElmeel and McElmeel provide brief biographies, quick stories, and other interesting facts about each author's books and then provide a recipe connected to an author's book....[i]f teens are using picture books and need a project, here is a book report complete with a suggested tasty morsel that aims to please.  -- Teacher Librarian

Booklists for each entry give readers a good overview of the artist's work or enrich a subject generated by the contributor's comment, such as children's resources about Marco Polo with Kathy Feeney's recipe for MarcoRoni, titles relating to immigration with Betsy Maestro's Russian Borscht, or a list of 100-day tales accompanying Keiko Kasza's submission. -- School Library Journal

Book lovers of all ages will enjoy the informative and delicious tie-ins between well-known authors and illustrators and their favorite recipes. More than 50 favorites share their memories of beloved culinary creations to make the reading of their particular genre tastier. The books's authors have gathered a fun collection that will give the reader a glimpse into the personal lives of these personalities....[t]his recipe collection would be an interesting way to promote an author visit, a book club discussion, or a special promotional event at the library.-- Library Media Connection

Table of Contents: 

Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories, and More. 2005. 200+p. appendix. illus, index. Libraries Unlimited, $25.00 ISBN: 1591582385

For more information about this title go to the appropriate page on the Libraries Unlimited Website or contact:

Libraries Unlimited
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
1-800-225-5800  fax 603-431-2214

©2005 Sharron L. McElmeel

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Last Updated: 3/05