‘Cooking up a Good Story’.

This paper will explore the inter-relationship between children’s literature and cook books for children, where cookery books have been written around the children’s book, for example, Wind in the Willows Country Cook Book" by Arabella Boxer and extending into the representation of cooking for children in contemporary media.
The methodological approach falls within cultural studies since this paper will consider the relationship between literature, culture and media.
The research enquiry is to examine the ways in which the contemporary concerns about children, healthy eating and well-being are being currently pursued. A comparison will be made between the inter-relationship between the literary text and the cook book and media representation of cooking for children, ascertaining the impact that the literary text has in this circumstance. Matters of class and culture will also be taken into consideration.
Books/media/genres to be discussed will include:
MacGregor, Carol Storybook Cookbook
Boxer, Arabella Wind in the Willows Country Cook Book
Amico, Joan & Drummond Karen The United States Cookbook

Representation on the web of cooking for children e.g.
‘The Kids' Cookery School’
Experience of cooking on the web.
Contemporary television cookery competitions for children.

This paper covers the contemporary period.