Children's Book Design: March 2014

Monday 31 March 2014

Jugosa Cocina by Monica Pardo Blum

- Visual illustrations made by Cecilia Andrews.
- This book is designed to "Help the children recognize the value in the food that they eat, think about nutrition, and put their creativity into practice."
- I like the childlike element of the crayon illustration. Immediately, it is obvious that this is a book intended for a younger audience and I believe it would appeal to them too. The colours are bright and fresh - shocking yellow and orange positioned on a duller background to stop the cover becoming overwhelming.

- The interior is unlike any cookbook I have previously viewed, which is what drew me too it. It is an explosion of colour and unusual layouts. I think it looks busy and exciting, which will appeal to the young audience it is designed for. However, I think it might be aimed at children around 10-13, as any younger age might find it more confusing.

- Found illustrations mixed with blocks of text and photography. The title is clearly displayed, as are the needed ingredients. Yet it is the illustrations which stand out and bring the page to life.

- The illustrations are very child-like in themselves, with quick colouring and loose lines.

- I also like how, at the top of the left page, there is an explanation of how many people the meal serves, how long it takes etc. This is symbolized with a pictogram and minimal words.

- Overlapping images and text creates a relaxed, fun layout.

References:
http://blog.agj.cl/2010/01/cookbook-for-children/
http://piclog.agj.cl/index.php?picture=65
http://lapanderetadeldomingo.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/jugosa-cocina-para-ninos/

Friday 21 March 2014

Thumbnail Sketches

- Children take interest in characters, especially ones that they can relate to.
- Have a character running through the book.

- Layout ideas.

- Inspired by Picture Cook.
- Using info-graphics to explain a recipe.
- However, this may be unsuitable for the child audience, as it may be too confusing.

- Pins to show where the ingredients of the recipe naturally grow.
- Show the importance of buying local food.
- Educational about where things grow.

- Scrapbook style. Informal, friendly.

Monday 17 March 2014

Target Audience: Eight year olds research

The Kids Cook Monday provides a starting point for parents, explaining how different age groups tackle cooking.

6-7 year olds and up
This age group usually has developed fine motor skills so they can take on more detailed work, like using measuring spoons and forming evenly sized patties. They may still need reminders to watch their fingers during grating and peeling.
They also excel at: Dicing and mincing vegetables, grating cheese; peeling raw potatoes, ginger, mangoes and other fruits and vegetables; slicing and scooping out avocados, greasing pans, using a microplane zester, de-seeding tomatoes and roasted peppers, draining and slicing tofu, rinsing grains and beans, forming cookies and patties, pouring liquids into small containers, and garnishing (or “decorating”) dishes.

8-9 year olds and up
There is a wide range of skills in this age group. Some 8 year olds are not mature enough to work at the stove. Others have the focus and diligence of an adult. You’ll have to decide if they should continue with the 6-7 year old tasks or if they are responsible enough to do more.
This group can take on more sophisticated tasks such as: Using a pizza cutter and can opener, scooping batter into muffin cups, scraping down the (unplugged) electric mixer bowl and food processor bowl, putting away leftovers, pounding chicken, proofing yeast, skewering food, slicing bread, and chopping hot chili peppers (latex gloves are a good idea!).

From this research, it is clear that eight-year-olds can hold their own in a kitchen quite well. They may still need assistant from adults, especially when doing more difficult and dangerous work, but I don't think that I need to 'dumb-down' my cookbook for them to be able to understand.

Stefania Patinella, director of food and nutrition for the Children's Aid Society of New York City says: "Cooking is about self-efficacy. When kids cook, they think, I can do this! And that self-esteem can be more important than the actual skills they gain at this stage."

Teaching children how to cook is a wonderful way to encourage them to develop new skills and have them work by themselves, with a little assistant from someone else. It is also a great bonding time between relative and child. Creativity should also be encouraged, perhaps with the decoration of food or adding extra ingredients.

Besides building confidence, cooking can give your grade-schooler the power of choice. Hmm, she might think. I can eat what I want if I can make it myself.

The BBC meanwhile provide references for 8-11 year olds.

Along with the skills suggested for 3 - 5 and 5 - 7 year olds, when children reach 8 +, they can start to get involved with planning and undertake activities with a bit more independence. Supervision is still key due to the number of hazards in the kitchen but take a hands off approach where possible.

Activities to try with 8 - 11 year olds

Planning the family meal

Following a simple recipe

Finding ingredients in the cupboards and fridge

Using a peeler

Whisking, using a balloon whisk or handheld mixer

Using heat on a hob, oven and microwave

Making salads

Opening cans

Gradually introduce your children to the above and make sure they are aware of the dangers involved. If you feel they are not ready, hold off for a while. Cuts and burns are common in the kitchen so always keep an eye on them. However capable they may be, it's easy to get distracted or try to rush an activity.

From this research, I have discovered that my target audience, eight year olds, can be very competent cooks. They just need a little bit of assistance, especially when doing potentially "dangerous" things.

This website also contains recipes for 7-9 year olds:
http://www.kraftcanada.com/recipes/recipes-for-kids-aged-7-to-9-yrs

References:
http://www.thekidscookmonday.org/about/kitchen-tasks-for-different-age-groups/
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/family/cooking-with-kids-gradeschool
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/guide-cookery-skills-age
http://www.kraftcanada.com/recipes/recipes-for-kids-aged-7-to-9-yrs

Friday 14 March 2014

Cookbook Research (2)

James Beard's Fireside Cookbook

- Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen.
- Published in 1949 by Simon and Shuster.
- Collage.

- Ambitious illustrations. Colourful, engaging. So much to look at. Compliments paragraphs of text.

Fairy Tale Feasts

- Retold tales by Jane Yolen. Recipes created by her daughter, Heidi Stemple. Illustrated by Phillipe Beha.
- Unique illustration style. Exaggerated proportions, such as face shapes, nose etc. Bright, engaging colours and visual language.
- Combining fairytales with cooking recipes.

- Story combined with recipes. Engages with children more.
- I like how they recipe and ingredients list are clearly laid out against each other. They are easy to read, with space between the lines to stop the text seeming like a plot. Small illustrations also surround them.

The Silver Spoon For Children

- Age range marked at age 10 and up.
- Published by Phaidon Press, 2009.
- Written specifically for children, with simple recipes.
- Encourages fresh and healthy ingredients, which relates to my brief.
- The book was developed by a specialist in the field of children's food and nutrition.

- Recipes usually take over a double page.
- Soft background colours.
- Loose illustrative style mixed with photography. Usually one photo per double page spread, of completed meal.
- I think that the typography is very strong in this book, as it relates well with the adjoining illustrations in visual language. It is also playful, therefore suitable for children's books.

Little Chef

- Described as a "quirky" children's cookvook.
- The recipes tend to be aimed at kids, involving "chess puffs", "fishfingers" etc. But I think encouraging kids to healthier, fresher foods could be a good thing.
- Bright colours mixed with numerous illustrations.
- "Cute" and "Sweet" - aimed at girls.
- I made not of the typography used. It is playful, close to being hand-drawn.

Picture Cook

- I was particularly interested in this cookbook, as it uses info-graphics to put across information.
- Frills are cut-off with this book, which allows you, with a quick glance, to understand how to make a main meal.
- Bright colours for illustrations. Outlines. Against white background - stops it appearing overwhelming.
- The author and illustrator, Katie Shelly, had to involve using testing with the process of creating this book. She would get her friends to point out any parts of illustrations that they didn't understand and re-work them.
- She wanted to encourage people to have fun with cooking, to not be too precious about the process.

- As you can see from the "Sweet Potato Fries" recipe above, sometimes one or two words are added to the illustrations, but even then there are just that - one or two words. Because of the illustrations, that all the viewer needs.

50's Cookbook Illustrations

- By Bradley Huber.
- I love the clear, simple shapes of these illustrations. It's completely obvious what the images represent.
- Only green, blue and black have been used in these illustrations, which lends the 50's feel. I find the soft colours calming.
- Quirky, endearing, charming. Would work well in a cookbook.
- However, perhaps children would need more dynamism to entertain them.

Children's Picture Cookbook

- Margaret Gossett.
- 1940s vintage cookbook. This can be seen clearly in the simplistic style and minimal colours.
- Easy-to-make recipes concocted with children in mind.

- Maximum of three colours.
- Each step is clearly illustrated.
- Background images of children playing.
- Minimal text so that it is not overwhelming.
- Understandable layout.

La Cusine Est Un Jeu D'Enfants

- By Michel Oliver
- French cookbook.
- Age-range is marked as 3-7.
- Ambitious recipes.

- Whimsical illustrations.
- Seen on this blog it explains about the book that the ingredients and the steps are kept to a minimum, but the flavors are complex.

There is a modernized version, made into a TV series, which had fresher, brighter illustrations: