Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories, and More Review

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(More customer reviews)This book not only introduced me to a number of 'new' authors/illustrators but helped me connect with some old favorites. Some of the recipes were child friendly but all of those I have tried are great to serve on the day we check one of the author's books from the library. Great way to help us connect our children with good reading. I have also cheated and on the day we ordered pizza we shared the broccoli recipe from Judy Casely -- knowing that the children would LOVE the pizza and not like the broccoli. They were glad to find out that Casely likes pizza too although the broccoli is heathier. Of course we also tried the English muffin pizzas too -- great for lunch. One day we had a 'literary luncheon' with Paul Brett Johnson's fried chicken Keiko Kasza's potato salad and Mary Casanova's crazy chocolate cake. All were teacher friends. Introduced them to some great authors and great books. This is a fun way to start a book conversation and would make great items for our book group. wish there was an adult version as we like the little bits of information about the books, and the authors, along with the themes shared. Lots of good food and lots of good anecdotes.
Also recommended: I think I read that a new title will be out next year -- Authors in the Pantry. I'll look forward to i

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From the Kitchen to the Parlor: Language and Becoming in African American Women's Hair Care (Studies in Language and Gender) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an academic book, so the information presented is often dry and densely packed. However, I found that by reading it carefully, I felt I gained insights into the hair care world that I had only just suspected before. I guess it gave my hair-dresser paranoia a bit more fuel, but I found it enlightening at the same time. Though hair is just something that grows out of our head (if we are lucky, that is), it can often times be highly politically charged, especially for those of us of African descent. Jacobs-Huey delves mostly into the world of black hair dressers to study this interaction. She explores their world, and how they use language to take the care of black hair out of the hands of black women. They frequently do this through making their profession almost like a religion, complete with jargon that's used to exclude the "uninitiated". Though there has been much literature about hair, as well as the politics of black hair, Jacobs-Huey actually explores the conversations between white women, hair dressers of both races, and black women about hair care. She notes the meaning behind what at first glance appears to be simple conversations between women about hair, but upon analyzing them, she points out the politically loaded subtext within them. It becomes a sort of game loaded with meanings that often times one side is totally oblivious to. It also shows the dance between politeness, getting needs met, politics, racism, and self-expression women of different races and positions engage in around the topic of hair. Jacobs-Huey acts as documenter to the give and take conversations, revealing how women talk to each other about hair, rather than writing a one-sided political discourse on a particular philosophy of hair. I dropped out of letting professionals care for my hair a long time ago. So I found it fascinating to "infiltrate" (through Jacob-Huey's book) the world of black hair care professionals who believe that the care of a woman's hair should not be left to the novice. They use language to erect a barrier (rather than for true communication) so that the lay-person is excluded from understanding discussions about her own hair. This book illuminates the power struggle that goes on for who truly has control over a black woman's hair.

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When is hair "just hair" and when is it not "just hair"? Documenting the politics of African American women's hair, this multi-sited linguistic ethnography explores everyday interaction in beauty parlors, Internet discussions, comedy clubs, and other contexts to illuminate how and why hair matters in African American women's day-to-day experiences.

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The Kitchen Classroom: 32 Visual GFCF Recipes to Boost Developmental Skills Review

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(More customer reviews)Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer has created the ideal package for a wide variety of families: those with kids on the autism spectrum, those with kids who need to eat a GFCF diet, or those who just want a way to start cooking with their children! While the book is aimed at parents and teachers, the author cleverly includes a CD-ROM that's aimed at the kids. Parents can set up the laptop in the kitchen (far enough away from any liquid ingredients of course!) and show their children step-by-step how each recipe is made. It's an ideal method for the newest chefs in every house.

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2011 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA): Honors Award, Parenting ResourcesFor kids who need extra help with sensory integration, motor, language, communication, and attention skills, cooking offers a multitude of opportunities to help them work on these skills while having fun. Professional cooking teacher and parent of a son with autism, Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, shows how, with a little planning and preparation, parents and teachers can make cooking a rich learning experience, as well as a chance to connect with their child or student. THE KITCHEN CLASSROOM includes a book for parents and teachers with 32 quick and tasty gluten-free (GF) and casein-free (CF) recipes with specific teaching tips and a color photo of each finished dish. Also included is a CD-ROM with simple step-by-step instructions and almost 500 color photos illustrating the process of each recipe in detail so kids (readers and nonreaders) can follow along, see what happens next, and practice doing some steps on their own. Print the photo sequences and put them in a binder for future use, or view them on your laptop during cooking sessions. THE KITCHEN CLASSROOM engages kids of all ages (as young as 18 months) and can be used with students with a variety of developmental or learning disabilities. Instructions in the book include handy icons that tell parents and teachers what skill can be practiced at what stage of the cooking process. Kneading dough, breaking eggs, pouring, stirring, measuring--all these activities offer the chance for sensory input and to practice language, math, motor, and social skills. Even shopping for ingredients or cleaning up together provides teachable moments and builds independence. Advice on safety in the kitchen, making easy substitutions, and adapting activities to meet the needs of different children makes this a complete resource. Just as Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer cherishes the tradition of cooking with her own children as she did with her grandmother, other families can discover the satisfaction of making meals together and building healthy eating habits. THE KITCHEN CLASSROOM book and CD-ROM give families and teachers everything they need to get cooking and building skills for a lifetime!

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