Don’t Cook, Mom!
Jackie Myers
Halo Publishing International (2020)
ISBN: 9781612448756
Reviewed by Lydia (age 6) for Reader Views Kids (1/21)
“Don’t Cook, Mom!” is about a mom who can’t cook and her two girls who decide to do something about it. The two girls, Ellie and Nellie, don’t like eating the food that their mom makes for them; it is always burnt and doesn’t taste good. One day after breakfast of yucky eggs and burnt toast, the girls come up with a plan. They try to do different things to stop their mom from cooking, but each time they try to do something, their mom still brings them the next meal! They get frustrated because they thought their plan should have worked. Finally, at the end of the story, the girls figure out what to do so that they can eat the food their mom cooks without saying “yuck!” or spitting it out.
I like that the girls thought of something to do and not have to keep eating bad food. I am glad that I like my mom’s cooking, especially when she makes pizza and tacos. I can’t really relate to this story because my mom doesn’t burn my food, but I feel sad for these girls because they have to eat it; I don’t think I would eat it if I were them- I’d make my dad cook. I feel bad for their dog, too.
The story was fun to read because the girls thought of something to do without any help, and their ideas were funny to see. When looking at the pages, the pictures have lots of colors; it is easy to see what is happening. The story isn’t too long or too short; it’s just the right length. I don’t think I have read a book about how bad a mom’s cooking is before, so it was fun to read this one. Reading this book makes me hungry! I think that any kid would like to read this story; I could almost read every word by myself.
Note from Mom: “Don’t Cook, Mom!” is a cute story for kids dealing with a parent’s below-par cooking skills. Personally, I would recommend cooking classes for the mom, but it’s understandable how this might be difficult for the girls to bring up. I also appreciate the comma placement in the title, as it helps clarify what the book is about: not wanting their mom to cook versus not cooking up mom. I agree with Lydia that this story would be enjoyed by many young readers. I could see this story being made into the plot of a children’s show.
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