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Mouthwatering Reads (Kids)

Enjoy these picture books all about food, cooking and different cultures. They'll have you running to the kitchen!

Salma the Syrian chef by Ahmad Danny Ramadan

When Salma wants to cheer her mother up by cooking a homemade Syrian meal, the staff and other newcomers in her welcome center are happy to lend a hand.

Fry bread : a Native American family story by Kevin Noble Maillard

Celebrates the Native American tradition of sharing fry bread during family meals, in a story about family, history, culture, and traditions, both new and old.

Bilal cooks daal by Aisha Saeed

Bilal and his father invite his friends to help make his favorite dish, daal, then all must wait patiently for it to be done.

Halal hot dogs by Susannah Aziz

Every Friday Musa's family takes turns picking out a Jummah treat which they use to try all different foods, but when it is Musa's turn he sticks to his favorite halal hot dogs to share.

Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi

As Neela and her mother cook together, they find a way for Neela's grandmother, who lives in India, to share in both the love and the flavors of the day. Includes tomato facts.

Kalamata's kitchen by Sarah (Sommelier) Thomas

"Follow Kalamata and her alligator sidekick on the first of many exciting food adventures in a ... story about facing fears and overcoming back-to-school jitters"--Provided by publisher

Watercress by Andrea Wang

Embarrassed about gathering watercress from a roadside ditch, a girl learns to appreciate her Chinese heritage after learning why the plant is so important to her parents.

Soul food Sunday by Winsome Bingham

Granny teaches her young grandson how to cook the family meal, in this celebration of food, traditions, and gathering together at the table. Includes recipe for baked macaroni and cheese.

May your life be deliciosa by Michael Genhart

Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie's abuela teaches her not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life--one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

Memory jars by Vera Brosgol

Freda uses jars to save everything from a chocolate chip cookie to the full moon, just as her grandmother saves summer blueberries. Includes a recipe for blueberry jam.

Hot pot night by Vincent Chen

In this version of the classic Stone Soup tale, nobody in the apartment building has enough ingredients for dinner, so a Taiwanese child suggests that they have a community hot pot night. Everybody contributes something, bringing their diverse communitytogether for a delicious meal. Includes a recipe for hot pot.

A pizza with everything on it by Kyle Scheele

When pizzeria owner's son requests a pizza with everything, his father helps him add sauce, a house, penguins, and more, until they accidentally create a pizza black hole.

Ruby's reunion day dinner by Angela Dalton

Inspired by the rich tradition of African American reunions, a multigenerational story follows the experiences of young Ruby, who helps loved ones prepare the foods they are bringing while trying to think of a signature dish of her own.

Sweet laba congee by Qiusheng author Zhang

"Yan'er is excited to help her grandmother prepare Laba congee for the Laba congee festival. It's a lot of work--organizing, cleaning, and preparing the ingredients, then cooking it on a wood-burning stove. It smells so good, even a puppy can't resist the aroma. Then Yan'er must carry some of the Laba congee to share with men and women in the village. And after she finally fills her own belly, Yan'er discovers that leftover Laba congee has other uses, too."--

Nacho's nachos : the story behind the world's favorite snack by Sandra Nickel

"A picture book biography of Ignacio (Nacho) Anaya, a waiter at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, and the events surrounding the creation, in 1940, of the globally-popular tortilla chip, cheese, and jalapeño pepper snack that bears his name-nachos"--

Octopus stew by Eric Velasquez

Ramsey dons his superhero cape to rescue Grandma from the huge octopus she is trying to cook--or is he simply telling a story? Includes author's note on the story's origin and a recipe for Octopus stew.

Our little kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

"A crew of resourceful neighbors comes together to prepare a meal for their community. Includes a recipe and an author's note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book"--

Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai

Lili loves to cook little dumplings called baos with her grandmother, but when cabbage is needed, Lili races up and down the stairs of her grandmother's apartment building to find the ingredient and help the other grandmothers borrow ingredients for different dumplings, from Jamaican meat patties and Italian ravioli to Lebanese fatayer and more.

The rice in the pot goes round and round by Wendy Wan Long Shang

Presents a song set to the tune of "The wheels on the bus," where a multigenerational family enjoys a culturally rich meal.

Thank you, Omu! by Oge Mora

When the aroma of Omu's homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive, one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit

Rosa's big pizza experiment by Jessica Spanyol

Follow Rosa and her friends as they prepare pizzas! Each step involves using a skill, from measuring to observation. The activity involves lots of sensory experiences and can inspire readers to make their own pizza!

No kimchi for me! by Aram Kim

Yoomi doesn't like the taste of spicy kimchi, but when Grandma makes kimchi pancakes, Yoomi considers changing her mind.

Amy Wu and the perfect bao by Kat Zhang

Amy is determined to make a perfect dumpling like her parents and grandmother do, but hers are always too empty, too full, or not pinched together properly

Bee-bim bop! by Linda Sue Park

A child, eager for a favorite meal, helps with the shopping, food preparation, and table setting.

Vamos! Let's go eat! by 1976- author Raúl the Third

Little Lobo, a Mexican American, and Bernab©♭, his dog, gather tacos, frutas picadas, cuernos, and more and deliver them to los luchadores preparing for Lucha Libre 5000.

Every night is pizza night by J Lopez-Alt

Convinced that pizza is the best food, Pipo will eat nothing else until her fed-up parents send her on a quest to prove that no dishes in their multicultural neighborhood are better.

Delicious! : poems celebrating street food around the world by Julie Hofstrand Larios

A collection of poems about street food and food trucks around the world.

Recipient of the National Medal, the nation's highest honor for libraries.