Tyler Makes Spaghetti!

Tyler Picture Books

by Tyler Florence, Craig Frazier (Illustrator)

Food Network star Tyler Florence is back with another picture book showing where food comes from and how it's made. In Tyler Makes Spaghetti!, Tyler and his dog, Tofu--the heroes of Tyler Makes Pancakes!--want to prepare their favorite meal. The pair go to Chef Lorenzo Mascarpone for information on making spaghetti and meatballs. They imagine a trip around the world to gather all the fresh ingredients for pasta and tomato sauce. Then it's back to the kitchen where Tyler discovers that cooking his favorite food is as much fun as eating it! Playful full-color illustrations by Craig Frazier, a Did You Know? section with cool facts, and Chef Tyler Florence's recipe for spaghetti and meatballs make this a delicious choice for little foodies and picky eaters.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Childrens, Storytime, Cooking

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 23, 2013

About the author

Tyler Florence is an American chef and television host of several Food Network shows.
He graduated from the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina, campus of Johnson & Wales University in 1991. He was later given an honorary doctorate from the university for his culinary success. He is the owner and executive chef of Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco.

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miss 2 and I like to explore different books at the library and try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

This was just a random one that she picked up. It's a cute book about a boy who is taught how to make his favourite dish by an Italian chef. It's nice that it gives an idea of where some of the ingredients come from (although the meatballs just kind of appear). I wish the dog hadn't been named Tofu - I thought it was unnecessarily confusing for a young child to have the dog named after food!

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids love spaghetti. So they were interested in this. A chef shows a kid how spaghetti is made. He goes into detail about making noodles and olive oil, but then just says "add meatballs". The art is weird, where the kid has stick arms and legs but the chef doesn't. The muschievious dog in the background, my kids found entertaining.

[Karen Holt · Rating 2 out of 5]

very pedantic and stick figures.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is way too involved for my preschoolers, but would be fun for an older kid who really enjoys cooking.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy named Tyler visits with his favorite chef to learn all about where all the ingredients for spaghetti come from and how to make it. Fun and informative.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the same way that I loved Tyler Makes Pancakes! this one is just as fun! I love Tyler Florence, I love what he has done for children's food and education both at home and in the school systems. His education has been really a blessing to many and his cooking shows are humorous and make cooking fun and enjoyable, less than a chore. This book is cute and creative. It's like stick-figures with extreme personality and color and I like it. Take something like a spaghetti and meatball recipe and dissect it and explain visually for a kid what all the ingredients are and where they come from. It's a science project and a history lesson. I think that an entire series of these books from different simple recipes would be awesome. Interested in the same thing for pancakes, go back to Tyler Makes Pancakes!.

*Thanks to HC for providing an ARC for review.*

Posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...

[Terry]

This *could* be a fun book with elementary students. Frankly, Tofu was a distraction. The story shifts too abruptly. After the detailed trip to the market, the meatballs are glossed over. When Tyler told Tofu that they'd worn our their welcome, I was surprised. There is nothing in text or illustration to suggest this.

Pros: Kids curious about cooking or where their food comes from will enjoy this quick dish on spaghetti and meatballs.

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[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: K-2nd grade

Keep 'em coming, Florence! You're my new go-to guy for little kids that love food and love to cook. This book is so well put together! Tyler makes his favorite recipe, spaghetti & meatballs, with a restaurant chef, even "traveling" to the different places where ingredients come from. After learning from the master, Tyler goes home and makes it himself, showing a rather daring display of independence in front of an open flame. The end pages have Tyler's spaghetti recipe and facts on the ingredients that went into the dish.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for cooking books because kids are naturally interested in how we make food. So, I love this for showing how a very popular food is created. The text is nothing special though. It seemed like Tofu came out of the blue and it was a little confusing at the start that Tyler was going to help Chef make spaghetti, but also take stuff home to make dinner?
Would be fun to read before or after spaghetti dinner.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book by Tyler Florence seemed pretty unexpected to me. I liked the story and thought it was pretty good for the most part. I did feel like they skipped over parts b/c it felt like it was starting to get long or b/c they didn't want to address where ground beef comes from. Still mostly fun.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our son is already a foodie at 1 year old, so a book about food is perfect for him, especially one about pasta! This was one of the best books we received as a gift. And I didn't even know that Tyler Florence wrote books. The illustrations are bright and colorful and the story is very entertaining and funny. I have no issues with reading this story over and over again at bedtime :)

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipe for spaghetti and meatballs sounds delicious. Definitely want to try it. Maybe the authors thought the dog, Tofu, was a whimsical addition to the story, but I just kept thinking health code violation. (I know! Little kids won't think of that.)

[Stacey Kahler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love food and making food, so I hd high hopes for this book, however, I think it lacked personality.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Craig Frazier's illustrations are wonderful but Florence's text is overdone.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for budding chef's or those interesting in how food is made. Overall it is fun, but a little didactic and the text plods to much. A recipe and information in the back.

[Jie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good eaters always enjoy books about food. In fact, we made spaghetti meatball for dinner tonight and MT was the one who read the recipe.

[Janae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to get kids interested in cooking. Tyler visits his favorite restaurant and then returns home to make the meal. Recipe is included.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture book for older readers with an interest in cooking.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations, story not so much.