Storybooks for Young Chefs

There is nothing quite like cozying up with a good book. Here are ten storybooks for your young chef to enjoy when they are not working hard in the kitchen.

Little Chef by Matt Stine and Elisabeth Weinberg

A little girl prepares to make her grandmother’s favorite meal in Matt Stine’s and Elisabeth Weinberg’s Little Chef, an energetic picture book illustrated by Paige Kaiser.

Llama Llama Yum Yum Yum by Anna Dewdney

Llama Llama and his Mama are in the kitchen whipping up some delicious treats! Join in the fun by reading along with this super-sweet story and scratching and sniffing the fun scents on each spread, like pickles and ice cream sundaes!

We’re Going to the Farmers’ Market

In this story, readers get to visit local farmers, fill baskets with fresh fruits and vegetables, and then head home to cook a feast, all with goodies from the farmers’ market! Featuring Stefan Page’s graphic art, this delightful board book is filled with bold splashes of color and unique patterns.

The Best Mouse Cookie by Laura Numeroff

This board book with sturdy pages is perfect for toddlers, who will enjoy the simple introduction to reading. Each page has one or two sentences. Starring the ever-popular Mouse, this is a sweet addition to the classic and beloved series.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Eric Carle’s storybooks are beloved, and this is no exception. A small caterpillar emerges from an egg and begins eating everything in sight. Finally, it is no longer hungry and no longer small. The big, fat caterpillar builds a cocoon around himself and finally emerges as a beautiful butterfly. In fact, what Carle calls the cocoon is really the pupa or chrysalis.

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

With perfect comic pacing, Greg Pizzoli introduces us to one funny crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed. What will he do when his greatest fear is realized? Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a wild imagination that kids will love.

Peeny Butter Fudge by Slade Morrison and Toni Morrison

There is no one like Nana in the whole wide world. She is the best. Nana knows how to take an ordinary afternoon and make it extra special! Nap time, story time, and playtime are transformed by fairies, dragons, dancing, and pretending — and then mixing and fixing yummy, yummy fudge just like Nana and Mommy did not so many years ago…. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and her son Slade tell a story of what really goes on when Nana is left in charge!

Pascual and the Kitchen Angels by Tomie dePaola

When Pascual is born, angels fly down and sing to him from the trees. When he sings to the sheep as a little boy, they sing back to him. But when Pascual joins the Franciscans, they send him to the kitchen. Pascual doesn’t know how to cook even a cup of beans! That’s when the kitchen angels fly down, and delicious dinners appear on the friars’ table night after night. Finally, the friars peek in to see how Pascual does it, and what they see shows them what a blessed man is living among them.

Dancin’ in the Kitchen by Wendy Gelsanliter

Dinner time is dancin’ at Grandma’s house while the chicken and dumplings simmer on the stove and all three generations of the family groove to the music on the kitchen radio, working up generous appetites.

Curious George Makes Pancakes by Margret and H.A. Rey

Curious George storybooks are always a favorite. In this edition, George and the man with the yellow hat attend the pancake breakfast fundraiser. Always curious, George finds his way to the pancake table to get into some monkey mischief!