A Monster Cookbook

Gr 1—2—Though promoted as fun snacks and for possible use at a similarly themed party, at times it's a stretch to consider some of these foods as particularly monster-, pirate-, princess-, or astronautlike. For example, the introduction to a peanut-butter-and-jelly breakfast sandwich states, "The pirate Blackbeard was known for plundering ships. He probably took the breakfast right from people's hands. This waffle sandwich is worth fighting for." Photos of the dishes in the tables of contents immediately draw readers in, and throughout the books the clear images are the main way of demonstrating the use of tools, techniques, and every step of the recipe. Stoves are not needed for any of the dishes since any required heating—melting cheese into pizza sauce, cooking oatmeal, making popcorn—can be done with a microwave or toaster. Ultimately, there are a few healthy hits ("Princess Parfait" with berries, yogurt, and granola) and many near misses ("Bigfoot's Boogers" uses broccoli but also spray cheese). Health-conscious parents will have to be prepared to make substitutions or to run interference altogether.