10 Children’s Books Celebrating Food, Family, and Culture
How we cook and eat is one of the most beautiful ways to express ourselves, our family traditions, and our cultures, and there’s an intimacy that develops when we eat with others.
Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and star of Somebody Feed Phil said, “You know you sit down and you eat with people you just met, and by the time you’re done eating, you’re a little bit closer. That’s the idea, right?”
I think that’s so true–and so powerful. Eating together can be a catalyst for understanding, community building, and even healing.
It’s been hard over the last year to eat with others the way we used to in the pre-pandemic days, but there are still ways to savor and celebrate the beauty of food and each other. My kids and I have been reading a variety of children’s books all about food, family, and culture, and it’s opened their eyes–and my own–to a culinary world much bigger than our own kitchen table.
It’s helped them see that grilled chicken or spaghetti is not all there is, and there are all kinds of dishes–and people–to love and to celebrate. I’ve also noticed that while reading books seems to be a small thing, the lessons of loving, appreciating, and learning from others spill out into the rest of their lives.
I’ve listed ten of our recent favorites below, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. If you’ve got one to add, drop it in the comments!
I’d also love to know…do you have any family favorite meals or food-related traditions?
1. Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore
A personal favorite, Cora Cooks Pancit shares the story of Cora and her mother who work together to cook Cora’s favorite noodle dish. She revels in the chance to do the grown-up jobs she doesn’t usually get to do when her older siblings are around. It’s a delightful book celebrating a family’s Filipino heritage and the joy of cooking and eating together.
2. Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
This award-winning book’s lyrical tone, vivid descriptions, and beautiful illustrations celebrate Native American identity and culture. You can practically smell fry bread through the pages, and you will no doubt enjoy the beauty of friends and family gathering to share their traditions.
3. Pop Pop and Me and a Recipe by Irene Smalls
This is a simple, joyful, whimsical book about a boy and his grandpa baking together. It includes a Lemon Bar Cake recipe at the end that my kids have been begging to try.
This book also uses words like sizzle, whoosh, plop, clack, etc., so it would be great for teaching kids onomatopoeia.
4. Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
This is another one of my kids’ favorites. It’s a fun, light-hearted, and joyful story about a Korean-American girl who cooks with her mother. It’s great for teaching rhymes and includes a recipe for this delicious traditional Korean dish as well as an author’s note with additional information.
5. Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji by Farhana Zia
Grandfather, Dada-ji, grew up in India and weaves the greatest tales as he talks with Aneel, his grandson, who is growing up in the United States.
My kids love Dada-ji’s fantastical stories, and this book will also no doubt make you hungry. There is also a helpful glossary in the back for English speakers to understand meanings and pronunciations for some of the terms used.
6. Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
This story takes place around Christmas, but it’s a great read any time of year. Maria helps make tamales for Christmas dinner, but she realizes she may have lost a very precious item in the process. She and her cousins scheme up a plan to find it and, well, you’ll just have to read the rest.
7. The Have a good day cafe by frances park and ginger park
Mike’s grandmother left Korea to live with him and his family in the United States. And when the family’s food cart business meets challenges, she suggests a (delicious) plan to help.
This is another one of my kids’ favorites…and like all the others, be prepared to be hungry.
8. Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic by Ginnie Lo
I love this book because they talk about the soybean fields in Illinois, and that’s exactly where I live. This book is a bit longer than the others in this list, but it’s a heartwarming story about the start of a family tradition of hosting a soybean picnic.
The story is inspired by the author’s and illustrator’s (who are sisters) memories as they grew up in the Midwest as Chinese Americans. I also love how they talk about the generational differences between the kids who grew up in America and the older generation.
The author and illustrator also provide notes at the end with personal photos and background. They explain, “The soybean picnic quickly became an important Chicago area gathering for young Chinese immigrant families who had been displaced by the political upheaval in China during World War II. The picnic continued to grow over a span of forty years and was always one of the highlights of late summer.”
This also includes tidbits about soybeans as well as a glossary of English and Chinese words that may be unfamiliar to many readers. It also includes pronunciation guides for the Mandarin words.
9. The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac
In this retelling of a Cherokee legend, a husband and wife have an argument and the wife leaves in anger. But the Sun sends berries along her way to slow her down, and eventually they forgive each other. “To this day, when the Cherokee people eat strawberries, they are reminded to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.” The story is lovely and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful.
10. Rice and Rocks by sandra L. Richards
Giovanna is upset when he hears his grandmother is making Jamaican stewed chicken with rice and beans (or “rice and rocks”). He’s worried his friends who are coming over won’t like this traditional dish. But his Auntie intervenes, taking him on a magical trip around the world to visit places where people eat “rice and rocks.”
