Children’s Books About Food

It’s fun to read stories about baking, cooking, eating, and giving food. Here are our favorite children’s books about food to read aloud with your child.

Children's Books About Food

“Can we make pastilla?” my son asked. He had been poring through a world atlas that showed custom food from different regions. This dish in particular was from Morocco. We had already cooked Egyptian falafels, Native American fry bread, and latkes for the holidays.

As busy moms, we may not always have the time to cook meals from scratch, much less unfamiliar recipes with ingredients we don’t always recognize. But cooking and eating new foods don’t have to be complicated. We can celebrate the fresh veggies of a salad, or look forward to delicious apple pie.

And your meals don’t even have to be home-cooked to be enjoyed. What kid doesn’t love a steaming box of pizza delivered to your door, or ice cream to lick at the end of a hot day?

There’s something to be said about relishing good food. Many can even become rituals or part of your routine, like expecting pancakes every Saturday morning.

And of course, food can be part of our culture, from baking roti and Challah bread to partaking in chicken soup.

Children’s books about food

This is why I love reading children’s books about food and following them up in the kitchen. Many of our food adventures began by reading a children’s book about it (for instance, cooking fry bread or bibimbap).

We’ve also incorporated the activity in the book in real life. One of our books described a picnic, complete with sandwiches, grapes, lemonade, and cookies. We then recreated the menu—complete with the picnic—with our kids.

Below are some favorite children’s books about food. They can help your little ones get excited about cooking, baking, and of course, eating:

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Rah, Rah, Radishes by April Pulley Sayre

Rah, Rah, Radishes by April Pulley Sayre

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philomen Sturges

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philomen Sturges

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by James Dean and Kimberly Dean

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by James Dean

Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas

Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
(Suggestion: eat the specified fruit on each day, e.g. apples for Monday.)

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

Can You Eat? By Joshua David Stein and Julia Rothman

Can You Eat? By Joshua David Stein and Julia Rothman

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Children’s books about chefs

Try It! by Mara Rockliff and Giselle Potter

Try It! by Mara Rockliff

Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites by Debbi Michiko Florence

Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites by Debbi Michiko Florence

Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament by Anne Renaud

Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament by Anne Renaud

Children’s books about where food comes from

Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution by Diane Stanley and Jessie Hartland

Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution by Diane Stanley

Right This Very Minute by Lisl H Detlefsen

Right This Very Minute by Lisl H Detlefsen

Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals

Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals

Children’s books about food from different cultures

Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup by Pamela Mayer and Deborah Melmon

Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup by Pamela Mayer

Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai

Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai

Hot Hot Roti for Dada-Ji by F. Zia

Hot Hot Roti for Dada-Ji by F. Zia

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang

Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore

Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore

Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley and Peter J. Thornton

Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Thank you, Omu by Oge Mora

Thank you, Omu by Oge Mora

The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

Children’s books about picky eating

Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat

Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child

Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider

Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban

Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks and Sue Hendra

Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks

How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller

How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller

  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
  • A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins

Free resource: Want even more book ideas? Join my newsletter and get your copy of the Read Aloud Book List! You’ll get hundreds of favorite selections to read aloud with your young readers. Get it below—at no cost to you:

Read Aloud Book List

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