Get Junior to make dinner tonight

Packed with dozens of scrumptious, easy-to-read recipes, "Kids Cook!" introduces simple, berry-licious cooking techniques punctuated with shocking colours and funky pictures - perfect for children, in other words.

For sizzling summer, there are honey-sweet recipes like Frozen Yoghurt Crunch Cups made with granola bars and nuts.

With snappy recipe names like that and terrific illustrations, "Kids Cook!" is inviting and full of pleasant surprises. Teenagers and even younger children will love the chatty instructions, replete with slang and cool drawings.

There are a few flaws though. Some of the ingredients, for example, may be a little out of reach, such as fresh thyme and guacamole.

But the book's five sections - Breakfast, Lunch, Drinks and Snacks, On the Side, and Dinner - all have thorough and fun instructions with lots of helpful hints.

The easiest snack to make seems to be the Fruity Smoothies, with intoxicatingly sweet ingredients blended simply with strawberries, bananas and sweet-vanilla, fat-free yoghurt. The two quick steps to making it are wittily written, making the recipe too tempting to resist.

Purple Cow Shakes

Ingredients

1 six-ounce can frozen grape juice concentrate

1 cup milk

2 cups vanilla ice cream

Method

Put the juice concentrate and milk in the blender and add the ice cream. Don't forget: Put the lid on! Blend at high speed for 30 seconds. Pour the shake into your drinking glasses and serve right away.

Caesar Salad

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small bunches of romaine lettuce

1/2 cup of Caesar salad dressing

1 cup garlic-flavoured croutons

1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Coarsely ground black pepper

Method

Wash the lettuce in cool water and then pat it dry on paper towels. Tear it into bite-size pieces. You're going to need about 10 cups' worth.

Put the dressing in a bowl and add the lettuce. Stir with a wooden spoon until the lettuce is coated. Sprinkle on the croutons, cheese and pepper and stir again.