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Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life
Dear Reader,
"Suzanne, would you be interested in teaching cooking classes to 5-to-8 year-old children?"
"Yes, I would love to teach cooking classes to kids. Thanks for asking."
My first class is All About Eggs; cracking, separating, scrambling and making deviled eggs. Along with each cooking class, I want to read a children's book, so in yesterday's column I asked readers for "egg" book suggestions. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss was the number one reply, and believe it or not, I hadn't thought about that book.
Isn't it fascinating, how one little idea leads to an entire community of readers, planning the cooking class along with me? Thank you to everyone who emailed egg-book suggestions.
To use book club reader Hannah Beck's words, below are some of the "Egg-cellent" books, readers suggested:
Scrambled Eggs Super by Dr. Seuss
Cook-a-Doodle-Doo by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel; illustrated by Janet Stevens
Eggs On Your Nose by Ann McGovern, illustrated by Maxie Chambliss
Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
The Little Red Hen original author unknown
The Egg and I by Sylvie Chausse; illustrated by Francois Crozat
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long
The Most Wonderful Egg in the World by Helmut Heine
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
How Fletcher was Hatched by Wende Devlin; illustrated by Harry Devlin
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Good Egg by Barney Saltzberg
The kids and I will also be making cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, pies and Stone Soup--(yes, we'll be reading the book) so I appreciated hearing about these other food-related children¹s books, too.
The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Take a Mouse to School, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, If You Give a Pig a Party and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake all by Laura Numeroff; illustrated by Felicia Bond
And finally, one book club reader had a suggestion for how to make clean-up fun in our cooking class.
"Suzanne, might I suggest the last class you do with the children, you take a page (or two) from Shel Silverstein's book Where the Sidewalk Ends. It's a poem about a little girl named Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout and she just wouldn't take the garbage out. She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans but she wouldn't take the garbage out. This two page poem is another of my favorites not only for the rhyme and rhythm but for the lesson it teaches as well. If we don't take the garbage out, it will pile high into the sky and be the end and demise of ones own self. Something so simple left undone can turn into a real and truly major problem.
Suzanne it's great to read with friends like you. Have fun doing your research for the cooking classes but most of all, just have fun. Your friend,"--Leanna Maschino
As a thank you for taking the time to make book suggestions, I'm giving away two children's books today: Green Eggs and Ham and The Odd Egg. To enter, simply send an email with a food-related book suggestion for kids, to: Suzanne@Emailbookclub.com and you're entered.
(If you've already sent a book suggestion, I've entered your email address in the drawing.)
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
* Meet all five of this week's AuthorBuzz authors today, Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com
AUTHORBUZZ: Win a romance inspired gift package (including a heart necklace, a candle, a photo frame and taffeta throw), bookmarks, chocolates and of course, books:
Nicole Jordan/TO DESIRE A WICKED DUKE
Linda Lael Miller/A CREED IN STONE CREEK
Pat Love, Ed. D. and Jon Carlson, Psy.D., Ed.D./NEVER BE LONELY AGAIN: THE WAY OUT OF EMPTINESS, ISOLATION, AND A LIFE UNFULFILLED
Sarah Pekkanen/SKIPPING A BEAT
Carla Neggers/KISS THE MOON
Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
I belong to a children's book group and have been copying your posts and want to give them the
suggestions, and your email address to the group when I report on books. I think I have them all except the first one. It is so interesting to read about as are all your emails! Love your posts. Thanks so much for your time and talent.
Posted by: LD | March 02, 2011 at 06:04 PM
You cannot go wrong with all the hilarious personal cleaning lessons of Mrs Piggle Wiggle or the lemon meringue pie of Amelia Bedelia. This class sounds like fun...and I have a suspicion we are going to see a children's cookbook in your future!
Posted by: KG | March 02, 2011 at 06:07 PM
I don't have any book suggestions, but reading your column on teaching 5–8 year olds how to cook reminded me of something a friend brought to work once – a sort of pamphlet from her child's school. A Kindergarten teacher had her students write out, (I guess they could write), how to make one of their favorite foods, like macaroni and cheese, brownies, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, French toast, etc. The teacher then compiled the recipes into a little book for the parents. You probably wouldn't expect it, but it was hilarious. "Add two cups of eggs, bake at 35 degrees for 7 hours, etc." Thought it was a real cute idea. Hope your class is a real joy.
Posted by: RG | March 02, 2011 at 06:10 PM