Elementary

Food and Cooking

S.T.E.A.M.

Early Childhood

Language and Vocabulary

Vooks A to Z

Camels can go for a month without food. But do they know how to cook spaghetti? Squirrels store up nuts and seeds for the winter. But can they whip up salad dressing? Bears eat fish, nuts, berries, and honey. But do they know how to fry bacon and eggs? Raccoons wash their food before they eat it—but do they know how to roast a hot dog?

Monkeys use tools like sticks and grass to find food—but of all the animals, only humans cook their meals. What else do humans do to make interesting and delicious recipes? And how do those dishes differ depending on where we live? Come along for a tasty journey and find out!

An informative look at where and how animals get their food, Does a Camel Cook Spaghetti? starts conversations about cooking tools, varied diets, and eating local. Written by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam, and published by Blue Apple Books.

These animals all eat different foods—but do they know how to cook? Let’s find out!

Does a Camel Cook Spaghetti?

Biographies

Be Creative

Kid at Heart

How We Work

When Filbert P. Horsefeathers walks into George Crum's restaurant, he tells the waitress, “I have a hankering for a heaping helping of potatoes.” Talented cook that he is, George prepares a serving of his most scrumptious, succulent, and sublime potato wedges—only to have Filbert send them back. “Too thick,” he says. “Too bland.” So, George makes thinner, saltier wedges. 

But this picky customer isn’t satisfied with the new dish. He sends them back again. Feeling a bit mischievous, George decides to make the thinnest, most overcooked, most salty potatoes of his entire cooking career. What happens next surprises everyone—and leaves the whole world clamoring for more.

Though a work of fiction, Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament is based on a real George Crum (of mixed Native American and African American descent), who is said to have created the first potato chip in response to a demanding customer. The playful writing is filled with vocabulary words, along with themes of persistence, creativity, and using cleverness to handle challenging social situations. Written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Felicita Sala, and published by Kids Can Press.

The pickiest customer of Crum’s career might lead him to a breakthrough: The invention of the potato chip!

Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament

Familius Presents

Free Access

Vooks at a Glance

Everyone's Reading

Clock strikes five. Shop is closed. Donuts sleep (so we suppose)…
Get ready for a delicious and hilarious journey through a world filled with (and made of) everyone’s favorite treat: donuts! Pirate donuts, dog donuts, striped donuts, jelly filled—donuts of every shape and size make an appearance in this whacky, fun-filled tale. But it’s not all fun and games in the donut shop! When the donuts realize they are going to be eaten the next morning, they band together to plan their escape. Will they make a great escape? Or will they become breakfast?

Donuts: The Hole Story brings donuts to life like never before! Written by David Miles and published by Familius, this story is fun, funny, and full of puns. It’s sure to be a hit with the hole family!

A whacky tale filled with (and made of) everyone’s favorite deep-fried treats...it’s a hole in one!

Donuts: The Hole Story

It’s a perfect day for pie, and Fox knows just the place to find the best apples in the forest. He needs 10 apples to bake his famous apple pie and, to his delight, that’s exactly how many he finds at the apple tree. 

As Fox mixes, rolls, peels, and chops back in his kitchen, his forest friends, Bear and Raccoon, each visit the same apple tree looking for a juicy, red snack. But both discover that there are no apples left! Soon, the sweet smell of a freshly baked apple pie cooling in a window brings Bear and Raccoon to Fox’s house. The friends happily share the tasty treat, but what will they do with the very last piece?

Written by Leslie Falconer, illustrated by Chris Lensch, and published by Early Experience Learning Co.

Fox loves apples, but he loves baking his famous apple pie even more. Will he share with his forest friends?

Fox and the Last Piece of Pie

Family 

It’s a sleepy Saturday morning for most people, but not for Iris. She has to feed her many pets before Aunt Mary arrives. Iris likes to call her Aunt Mary “Plant Mary,” because Aunt Mary is a plant scientist. They’re about to turn Iris’s kitchen into a bread lab. Today’s science experiment: Making whole wheat sourdough from scratch.

First, they mix the four ingredients needed to make the bread: flour, water, salt, and Flora the starter. Then, they knead the bread until it’s strong. What happens after they let the loaf rest? To find out, come along for a scientific bake-off featuring microbes, tasty aromas, and a crust-loving dog named Charlie.

Bread Lab! takes a close, step-by-step look at the process of using microbes to make a loaf of bread from scratch. The narrative features accessible scientific ideas and representations of girls in science. It also connects the dots between farming, plant science, and the foods we love to eat. Written by real-life plant researchers Kim Binczewski and Bethany Econopouly, illustrated by Hayelin Choi, and published by Readers to Eaters.

Iris is about to turn her kitchen into a bread lab with her Aunt Mary. Today’s experiment: Whole wheat sourdough.

Bread Lab

New Books

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage

Vooks Originals

Sick Day Stories

Birthday parties are so much fun: the friends, the family, the games, the gifts, and, of course, the food! But what type of food do you serve at a birthday party when your family is from two different cultures? Young Mikey Yam is having a hard time choosing between the Italian food of his mother’s side and the Chinese cuisine of his dad’s. So, he turns to his grannies, Bahboo and Nonna, for advice.
 
“Ravioli or Dumplings? Linguine or Lo Mein? All of these options were hurting his brain.”
 
Join Young Mikey as he decides which type of food to have for his birthday party, and the important life lesson he learns along the way.

A Vooks Original, Fried Rice & Marinara is a rhyming story about two cultures coming together to create something special. Written by Mike Yam and illustrated by Laura Dong.

Young Mikey Yam is about to turn four, but deciding what type of food to have at his party is creating a jumble of possibilities!

Fried Rice & Marinara

Cora loves being in the kitchen, though she always gets stuck with the kid jobs, like licking the spoon. But today, when her older siblings go out, Cora will finally get the chance to be Mama's assistant chef. Mama even lets her pick which delicious Filipino dish she wants to make. Cora chooses her favorite noodle recipe: pancit!

With Mama’s help, Cora does all the grown-up jobs, like shredding the chicken and soaking the rice noodles. She even stirs the pot while Mama supervises. But when dinner is served, will Daddy and her siblings know Cora did the cooking? Will they think the pancit is as good as usual?

A tale of cultural heritage, Cora Cooks Pancit brings the joyful art of cooking to life. The story walks through the steps for cooking Filipino pancit, highlighting themes of family, trust, and learning through experience. Written by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore, illustrated by Kristi Valiant, and published by Shen’s Books.

When her older siblings go out for the day, Cora finally gets the chance to be Mama’s assistant chef.

Cora Cooks Pancit

Dreamscape

Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa...oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble. The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

This scrumptious New York Times bestseller has a whole lot of kick...and is now on video!

Dragons Love Tacos

Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake. Little Star loves the delicious Mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to eat any yet! What happens when she can't resist a nibble? In this stunning, heartwarming original story that shines as bright as the stars in the sky, Newbery Honor author Grace Lin explains the phases of the moon.

This gorgeous, whimsical origin story of the phases of the moon explains those phases in an easy-to-understand way that will comfort and educate children of all ages.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

Celebrate Black History

Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu's delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself? Debut author-illustrator Oge Mora brings to life a heartwarming story of sharing and community in colorful cut-paper designs as luscious as Omu's stew, with an extra serving of love. An author's note explains that Omu (pronounced AH-moo) means queen in the Igbo language of her parents, but growing up, she used it to mean Grandma.

Omu shares her stew with everyone in the neighborhood until there's nothing left in this incredibly heartwarming story where a generous woman is rewarded by her community.

Thank You, Omu!

Storytime Favorites

On the Farm

All Seasons

Zora is bored. Or at least, she was bored until she decided to plant zucchini in her summer garden. When the zucchinis start to grow, her family makes all kinds of recipes out of them: zucchini bread, zucchini soup, zucchini marinated, grated, and barbecued. They eat the vegetables for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Zora can’t get enough!

But the zucchini patch keeps growing, and growing—and growing. Soon, Zora finds herself with more zucchini than her family can hope to cook. She decides to start a garden swap. Will her neighbors show up to trade produce? Or will Zora get buried under a mountain of fresh zucchini?

Published by Readers to Eaters, Zora’s Zucchini is about discovering not only the wonder of growing food, but the satisfaction of growing a community. The story also demonstrates an important truth: Children are more interested in eating the foods they have a hand in growing, preparing, and cooking. Written by Katherine Pryor and illustrated by Anna Raff.

For Zora, the first zucchini of her summer garden is exciting. But what happens when the plants grow out of control?

Zora's Zucchini

Bilingual Books

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

Celebrate Latino food and culture! Narrated in Spanish and English, this bilingual title is brimming with tasty eats and fun facts. Proud to Be Latino: Food/Comida shows little ones how different Latino countries use similar ingredients to create regional dishes that are as delicious as they are unique! Children will also learn some fun and surprising facts—did you know that there are over 5,000 types of potatoes sold in South America?

Proud to Be Latino: Food/Comida takes readers beyond a basic language primer and into the rich world of Latino culture. Proud to Be Latino: Food/Comida is written by Ashley Marie Mireles, illustrated by Edith Valle and published by Familius.

Celebrate Latino food and culture with this bilingual title full of tasty eats and fun facts!