CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook

by Emma Bland Smith

CCBC Review:

Fannie Farmer loved cooking as a child. When she lost the use of a leg as a teenager due to polio, her love of cooking helped reshape her vision for the future; while she recovered, she cooked. Fannie noticed that the imprecise instructions and measurements in most recipes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (e.g., “a suspicion of nutmeg”) made for inconsistent results. She enrolled in the Boston Cooking School and stayed on after graduation, eventually becoming principal. She led not only the school but the charge for using exact measurements and providing precise instructions in recipes, and showcased the results when she rewrote the school cookbook, which became a hit with the general public. This spirited recounting of the accomplishments of this food pioneer includes terrific end matter, beginning with a note about research and conjecture versus fact in the narrative before exploring many dimensions of Fannie’s life, work, legacy, and the times in which she lived. A design that highlights quotes from Fannie throughout, alongside pleasing watercolor and digital illustrations, round out this winning picture book biography. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Susan Reagan

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 6-9
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Formats: Biography, Autobiography and Memoir Picture book
Subjects: 19th Century 20th Century Biography Food and Cooking Girls and Women Physical Disability
Diversity subject: Physical
On CCBC Booklist: Between Fact and Fiction: Selected Picture Books to Encourage Critical Reading/Thinking

Publishers: Calkins Creek, Astra
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781635926125
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Farmer

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Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.