Fannie in the Kitchen: The Whole Story From Soup to Nuts of How Fannie Farmer Invented Recipes with Precise Measurements

By Deborah Hopkinson

Book Overview

Marcia was trying to help her mama. So maybe balancing on top of a tower of chairs to dip candles wasn't such a good idea. And perhaps her biscuits worked better as doorstops than dessert. Still, does her mama really need to hire a mother's helper?
Then Fannie Farmer steps into their kitchen, and all of a sudden the biscuits are dainty and the griddle cakes aren't quite so...al dente. As Fannie teaches Marcia all about cooking, from how to flip a griddle cake at precisely the right moment to how to determine the freshness of eggs, Marcia makes a wonderful new friend.
Here's the story "from soup to nuts" -- delightfully embellished by Deborah Hopkinson -- of how Fannie Farmer invented the modern recipe and created one of the first and best-loved American cookbooks. Nancy Carpenter seamlessly incorporates vintage engravings into her pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations, deliciously evoking the feeling of a time gone by.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068981965X
• ISBN13: 9780689819650
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Wonderful for classroom use

I am an educator who likes to use historical fiction with elementary students. Students love the story of FANNIE IN THE KITCHEN, and we have also used the book to talk about how cooking has changed over the years. I bring in old kitchen utensils from antique stores to show them. (Many kids can't identify a sifter, to say nothing of a butter mold! And when was the last time you saw a doughnut cutter??) We also use the book...

An inviting beginner's guide

Marcia is trying to help her mother cook, but is doing a terrible job until Fannie Farmer steps in and teaches her about cooking. Nancy Carpenter's whimsical drawings accompany Fannie's lessons in this inviting beginner's guide to both cooking and how Fannie Farmer invented the recipe.

Absolutely Delicious.....

Little Marcia was not very happy the day her mother announced that before the new baby's born, a woman named Fannie Farmer was coming to live with them to cook and be a mother's helper. Marcia didn't think her mother needed any more helpers. She could already wash the clothes until they were spotless, polish the oil lamps until they shined and even make candles. Though she tried to discourage this mother's helper idea,...

WARM AND FUNNY!

The illustrations in this book are hilarious! My kids just love the pictures and they want to cook "Fannie Fanner Griddle Cakes" all the time!

Just Delicious!

This story, loosely based on an incident in the life of the real Fannie Farmer, is just delightful. Children will love the illustrations of Marcia's struggles with cooking. But it's also neat to see the warm friendship that grows between her and Fannie. Highly recommended for cooks of all ages!