Sunday, 4 January 2015

Mud Pies And Other Recipes

Giulietta got a beautiful book for Christmas from her Grandma. It is called Mud Pies And Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow. It is a beautiful book and if you are a seasoned reader of the blog you will know I have a soft spot for children's books.

This one in particular I wanted to share with you as I know I have readers who are parents and readers who are teachers and I feel that a book like this can teach how to encourage imagination in children.

The point of this book is to encourage you to delve into the garden cabinet and use all kinds of ingredients that can be found out there. Sawdust, stones, thick mud, thin mud, all kinds of mud in fact are used to create gastro meals to suit even the finest diner. The simple Recipes make it accessible to all who can read and with the use of outdoor materials; anyone can partake in this delightful experience.

For children, this book fully encourages the use of imagination in making the most delightful appetisers, mains, deserts and beverages. It centres on cooking for your dolls and it is quite matter of fact about how one would prepare things. Marjorie herself explains the point of this cookbook:

"It is a cookbook for dolls. it is written for kind climates and summertime. It is an outdoor cookbook, because dolls dote on mud, when properly prepared. They love the crunch of pine needles and the sweet feel of see weed on their tongue. The market place, then, will be a forest or a sand dune or your own back yard.

............. Doll crockery is not a very exacting art. The time it takes to cook a casserole depends upon how long your dolls are able to sit at the table without falling over. And if a recipe calls for a cupful of something, you can use a measuring cup or a teacup or a buttercup. It doesn't much matter. What does matter is that you select the best ingredients available, set a fine table, and serve with style." (Taken from the foreword.)

The beautiful pictures by Erik Blegvad match perfectly and his simple sketch style drawings create images and allow you to picture the experience in your head

This book displays all good things about childhood play and is most definitely the only necessary make believe cookbook that should be sat on you bookshelves. It truly is a beautiful dedication to memories of garden play and I think it will remind many grown adults of times spent stirring pools of mud and water.