Books by genre
Top 10 cookbooks for kids
A good cookbook for kids has clear steps, photographs and recipes children can make with help. These are tested by publishers or well-known test kitchens. Always check knife and stove tasks against your child's age.
Titles were chosen from award winners, ALSC notable lists and long-running library favorites, then each title and author was checked against Open Library in Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes
Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson · Ages 3-8
Picture recipes for preschoolers cooking with a grown-up.
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Salad People and More Real Recipes
Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson · Ages 3-8
A follow-up with quick recipes in pictures.
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The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs
America's Test Kitchen Kids · Ages 8-13
100+ tested recipes with step-by-step directions and photos.
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The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs
America's Test Kitchen Kids · Ages 8-13
Over 100 sweet and savory baking recipes.
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Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!)
Deanna F. Cook · Ages 6-12
A Storey Publishing cookbook with simple recipes and photographs.
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Baking Class: 50 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Bake!
Deanna F. Cook · Ages 6-12
A companion volume on baking.
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Cooking Class Global Feast!
Deanna F. Cook · Ages 6-12
Recipes from around the world for young cooks.
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Kitchen Science Lab for Kids
Liz Lee Heinecke · Ages 6-12
Experiments in the kitchen, from fizzy drinks to crystals.
Watch for: Some projects use a stove or sharp tools.
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Betty Crocker Kids Cook!
Betty Crocker · Ages 6-12
A classic starter cookbook with step photos.
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Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook
Better Homes and Gardens · Ages 7-12
The long-running junior cookbook with simple instructions.
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More lists
Top 12 books about how things work for kids
These books pull back the walls of buildings, machines and bodies.
Top 12 science and nature nonfiction books for kids
Great science books for kids let you open anywhere.
Top 12 survival books for kids
Survival stories give kids a safe way to ask what they would do.
Top 14 adventure books for kids ages 6 to 12
Adventure stories put a child in a hard place with a problem to solve: a wilderness, an island, a quest, a chase.
Top 12 fantasy books for ages 6 to 8
These are talking animals, magic doorways and small heroes, written plainly enough for new independent readers or good as a read-aloud.
Top 15 fantasy books for ages 9 to 12
The middle-grade years are the peak of fantasy reading.
Top 14 fantasy books for younger teens (ages 12 and up)
These are the bridge from children's fantasy to adult epic fantasy.
Top 11 fairy tale collections and retellings for kids
Fairy tales come in two kinds here: the old collections, and newer novels that retell or play with them.