Cooking Fun & Crafting Fun by Rae Grant - Book Review and Giveaway

"Children often enjoy hearing memories about recipes and treats that have a relationship to family history." - Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes to Make with Kids by Rae Grant

A wave of nostalgia sweeps over me every time I crack open the pages of two new books, Crafting Fun and Cooking Fun by author Rae Grant. The books with their retro design and classic recipes and crafts, send me back to my childhood and remind me of days spent crafting and cooking with my mom and grandma. Both my mom and grandma can cook up a storm and are just as accomplished sewers and crafters. My own skills can't even begin to compare. Luckily, my kids have also been able to witness the magic in their kitchens and at their sewing machines. Now with the help of Grant's vintage-styled books, I can continue the legacy of good home cooking and simple, classic crafting.

Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes to Make with Kids by Rae Grant. St. Martin's Griffin (October 2008); 144 pages; ISBN 9780312377793

If you've been searching for the perfect children's cookbook, Rae Grant's Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes to Make with Kids is worth a look. Old-fashioned, comfort food type recipes fill the book, and Grant shares all those familiar recipes that every mother should hand down to her children. Sloppy Joes, pancakes, strawberry shortcake, banana bread, and broccoli soup are a few of the 121 mouth-watering recipes. Nothing fancy and everything homemade, that is how my grandmother cooks and apparently Rae Grant's grandmother as well. The beginning of the book includes a section of kitchen basics and tips, cooking terms, measuring equivalents and even suggestions on keeping a "green" eco-friendly kitchen. Grant's artful use of vintage graphics throughout makes the book eye-pleasing and enticing.

The recipes are divided into the following sections:
Beverages • Toasts, Sandwiches, and Soups • Eggs for Breakfast, Lunch or Supper • Salads and Vegetable Dishes • Meals • Quick Breads and Cakes • Cookies and Simple Desserts

My daughter and I tried out the snickerdoodles recipe on page 124. The name snickerdoodles has always cracked me up since I was a little girl and they really are a perfect snack with milk, a good change from chocolate chip cookies. They turned out excellent, by the way!

Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make and Do With Kids by Rae Grant. St. Martin's Griffin (September 2008); 144 pages; ISBN 9780312377809

My mom ran a licensed daycare out of our home, so I grew up making plenty of crafts. She searched books and magazines for little projects and activities to do with the kids. Some of the classic crafts I remember making can be found right in Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make and Do With Kids like paper drinking cups, waxed paper leaves, snow globes, and tussie-mussies. A few crafts include accompanying factual information like a U.S. State Tree Chart along with the skeleton leaf prints activity. All the projects are ordered by seasons: Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer.

Vintage style illustrations grace the pages of the book skillfully arranged by Grant, an experienced book designer. Kids will have fun using simple household materials to construct their crafts, and the easy-to-follow directions tell them exactly what steps to take. Crafting is a perfect way to keep kids occupied during summer vacation!

Related Links:
cookingfunforkids.com
craftingfunforkids.com
Macmillan Books Rae Grant Author Page


Win a copy! Rae Grant and St. Martin's Press have kindly offered to give away (1) copy of Cooking Fun and to a Brimful Curiosities reader and (1) copy of Crafting Fun to a different Brimful Curiosities reader. If you have a preference, leave it in your comment.

To enter, visit cookingfunforkids.com, click on "Recipes to Try" and let me know which recipe name from the list reminds you of food from your childhood. (If you can't access the page, let me know what food brings back childhood memories for you.)

• For contact purposes, if you are a non-blogger or your email is not accessible in your blog profile, please leave a valid email address within the comment section.
• Contest is open to US and International (yes, everyone!)
• Contest ends on Monday, June 22th, 2009 at 11:59 PM CST.
• Winner will be chosen at random

Three more ways to gain extra entries (Maximum total entries is 4):
1st extra entry: Follow Me! or subscribe by email or RSS reader
2nd extra entry: Blog about this contest then post your link in the comment section.
3rd extra entry: Follow me on twitter (iambrimful) and tweet about the contest.
(Sample tweet: Looking for activity ideas for the kids? "Cooking Fun" and "Crafting Fun" by Rae Grant book Giveaway @iambrimful http://bit.ly/4fQoO2 )