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The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids: 60 Easy Plant-Based Recipes Kids Can Make to Stay Healthy and Save the Earth
Struggling to get your kids to eat their fruits and vegetables? Try letting them help themselves!
Experts tell us the best way to teach kids healthy eating habits is to involve them in the process. This irresistibe cookbook presents 60 appealing recipes kids will beg to make themselves, in fun and charming illustrations they will love. Bursting with color, humor, cute animal characters, and cool facts (did you know your brain actually shrinks when you're dehydrated? Drink water, quick!), Help Yourself empowers children to take charge of their own nutrition -- for now and for life!
Recipes
Excerpt from the
Since the day you were born, someone has been making you food and serving you meals (that's the life!). But wait a minute...what's that on the end of your arm? Why, it's a hand! And it turns out you need little more than your own two hands and a few ingredients to help yourself to healthy foods...and help the world, while you're at it! Because from the tip of your nose to the tip of an iceberg, the food we eat affects our bodies, our environment, and even strangers on the other side of the planet. It's amazing but true.
Experts tell us the best way to teach kids healthy eating habits is to involve them in the process. This irresistibe cookbook presents 60 appealing recipes kids will beg to make themselves, in fun and charming illustrations they will love. Bursting with color, humor, cute animal characters, and cool facts (did you know your brain actually shrinks when you're dehydrated? Drink water, quick!), Help Yourself empowers children to take charge of their own nutrition -- for now and for life!
Recipes
Excerpt from the
Since the day you were born, someone has been making you food and serving you meals (that's the life!). But wait a minute...what's that on the end of your arm? Why, it's a hand! And it turns out you need little more than your own two hands and a few ingredients to help yourself to healthy foods...and help the world, while you're at it! Because from the tip of your nose to the tip of an iceberg, the food we eat affects our bodies, our environment, and even strangers on the other side of the planet. It's amazing but true.
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2016
2 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Roth
11 books78 followersFeatured on CNN, FOX, Today, and other major media outlets, Ruby Roth is an artist and the world's leading author and illustrator of vegan and vegetarian books for children.
Vegan since 2003, Roth was teaching art at an elementary school when her students' fascination with her eating habits inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals in 2009—the first book of its kind in children's literature. Vegan Is Love and V Is for Vegan. Today, Roth's books have been translated into multiple languages including German, Italian, Korean, French, Polish, Finnish, and Slovenian.
Complementing her degrees in art and American Studies, Roth has researched animal agriculture, health, nutrition, and the benefits of a plant-based diet for over a decade.
Vegan since 2003, Roth was teaching art at an elementary school when her students' fascination with her eating habits inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals in 2009—the first book of its kind in children's literature. Vegan Is Love and V Is for Vegan. Today, Roth's books have been translated into multiple languages including German, Italian, Korean, French, Polish, Finnish, and Slovenian.
Complementing her degrees in art and American Studies, Roth has researched animal agriculture, health, nutrition, and the benefits of a plant-based diet for over a decade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 3, 2023
I was disappointed about this book, but perhaps my hopes were too high. Since adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet around three years go, my kitchen habits have been turned upside-down. All my reliable old cookbooks, techniques, and recipes were suddenly useless.
I have been specifically looking for a WFPB cookbook for kids for quite a long time, so I was excited to check this one out. It turns out that this one won't be useable for my family for several reasons:
1. Weird ingredients. Soba noodles, dinosaur kale, chapati, goji berries, seaweed, tempeh . . . my grocery store doesn't carry these things and if it did, I still think carrots, bread, and spinach are more affordable—and more accessible to kids.
2. The recipes aren't all that appealing to kids. Kids are suspicious of foods they haven't seen before (see above). And even if they're good veggie eaters, most of them don't get excited enough about them to want to pick out a recipe that is mainly veggies.
3. The font and format make the recipes harder to follow, especially for kids. Usefulness trumps cuteness. Line up those ingredients and use a normal font, please!
I am still waiting for a WFPB/vegan cookbook with recipes that kids will actually want to make and can make by themselves with ingredients found at a regular grocery store.
EDIT: It's here! There's finally a great WFPB cookbook for kids! Check out Plant-Based Cooking for Kids by Faith Ralphs.
I have been specifically looking for a WFPB cookbook for kids for quite a long time, so I was excited to check this one out. It turns out that this one won't be useable for my family for several reasons:
1. Weird ingredients. Soba noodles, dinosaur kale, chapati, goji berries, seaweed, tempeh . . . my grocery store doesn't carry these things and if it did, I still think carrots, bread, and spinach are more affordable—and more accessible to kids.
2. The recipes aren't all that appealing to kids. Kids are suspicious of foods they haven't seen before (see above). And even if they're good veggie eaters, most of them don't get excited enough about them to want to pick out a recipe that is mainly veggies.
3. The font and format make the recipes harder to follow, especially for kids. Usefulness trumps cuteness. Line up those ingredients and use a normal font, please!
I am still waiting for a WFPB/vegan cookbook with recipes that kids will actually want to make and can make by themselves with ingredients found at a regular grocery store.
EDIT: It's here! There's finally a great WFPB cookbook for kids! Check out Plant-Based Cooking for Kids by Faith Ralphs.
May 16, 2020
I bought this book for my newly vegan 11 year old granddaughter. It’s a quick read, and cute, with fun illustrations and a variety of recipes. My girl is a super-picky eater, though, so I am dubious of ingredients like spirulina and seaweed. Many ways to make simple and healthy vegan food without exotic ingredients, especially for beginning cooks.
August 4, 2016
2.5/5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this cookbook... My co-worker handed it to me and said it was a vegetarian cookbook for kids. It's not. It's a vegan cookbook for kids. On the surface, that's great. I'm not a vegan (I'm vegetarian), but I sort of wish I was. From what I understand, it's probably the best diet for the environment. But have unfortunately failed to quit my unhealthy love affair with cheese. So my issue isn't with veganism, it's with the very-vocal minority of vegans that use pseudo-science and manipulation to get their message across. This book has a little bit of that kind of veganism, but it also has some great recipes.
What I did like:
-The large pictures are great. And I love that illustrations are mixed in. This book really is cute as heck.
-The recipes are mostly raw, but not all of them. Completely raw vegan diets are ridiculous, especially for children. But of course, if you eat mostly raw, it's easier for your kids to help you in the kitchen.
-I love that at the end of the book, the author provides a list of other things you can do to help animals and the environment. It's true, being vegan isn't enough!
-The shopping list is also a great resource.
What I didn't like:
-The font is stupid. I really really hate when children's books of any kind have wacky fonts. Pictures and colors are enough to appeal to kids. And you don't want your adult readers to go blind. The lack of bullet points or numbers also makes the recipes hard to read.
-Some of the ingredients are expensive and unnecessary. Algae? Spirulina? Goji berries? C'mon. Those things are not essential to a vegan diet. They might be healthy, but they're expensive. And they're no better for you than regular old nuts, fruits, veggies, and legumes. The "superfood" crap that you hear about on the news is pure marketing. Yes, dirty capitalism. Something you vegans are supposed to be against!
-At the beginning of the book, the author lists the #4 reason why a plant-based diet is best: plants contain more nutrients than animal products. Um... depends on the product. The truth is, while veganism is definitely better for the environment and the best to reduce animal suffering, it's actually not the healthiest diet. You can be very healthy and still eat animal products. You can still be very healthy on a vegan diet, BUT if you're vegan you need to consume a B12 supplement. The author fails to mention this.
-The author also talks about eating organic foods that don't contain "chemicals." For real, lady?? EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS! There is one good reason to eat organic: to support local businesses. But guess what, in order to feed everyone on the planet, it's impossible to grow all fruits and vegetables organically. Again, aren't vegans supposed to care about all living things, including humans?
Bottom line: I have mad respect for anyone who is vegan and who advises (not forces) their child to be vegan. But I don't know why you all feel the need to make stuff up in order to convince everyone else. Veganism is great for the earth and great for the animals. So eat plants. You don't need to get fancy. Just eat plants. It's really that simple.
I have mixed feelings about this cookbook... My co-worker handed it to me and said it was a vegetarian cookbook for kids. It's not. It's a vegan cookbook for kids. On the surface, that's great. I'm not a vegan (I'm vegetarian), but I sort of wish I was. From what I understand, it's probably the best diet for the environment. But have unfortunately failed to quit my unhealthy love affair with cheese. So my issue isn't with veganism, it's with the very-vocal minority of vegans that use pseudo-science and manipulation to get their message across. This book has a little bit of that kind of veganism, but it also has some great recipes.
What I did like:
-The large pictures are great. And I love that illustrations are mixed in. This book really is cute as heck.
-The recipes are mostly raw, but not all of them. Completely raw vegan diets are ridiculous, especially for children. But of course, if you eat mostly raw, it's easier for your kids to help you in the kitchen.
-I love that at the end of the book, the author provides a list of other things you can do to help animals and the environment. It's true, being vegan isn't enough!
-The shopping list is also a great resource.
What I didn't like:
-The font is stupid. I really really hate when children's books of any kind have wacky fonts. Pictures and colors are enough to appeal to kids. And you don't want your adult readers to go blind. The lack of bullet points or numbers also makes the recipes hard to read.
-Some of the ingredients are expensive and unnecessary. Algae? Spirulina? Goji berries? C'mon. Those things are not essential to a vegan diet. They might be healthy, but they're expensive. And they're no better for you than regular old nuts, fruits, veggies, and legumes. The "superfood" crap that you hear about on the news is pure marketing. Yes, dirty capitalism. Something you vegans are supposed to be against!
-At the beginning of the book, the author lists the #4 reason why a plant-based diet is best: plants contain more nutrients than animal products. Um... depends on the product. The truth is, while veganism is definitely better for the environment and the best to reduce animal suffering, it's actually not the healthiest diet. You can be very healthy and still eat animal products. You can still be very healthy on a vegan diet, BUT if you're vegan you need to consume a B12 supplement. The author fails to mention this.
-The author also talks about eating organic foods that don't contain "chemicals." For real, lady?? EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS! There is one good reason to eat organic: to support local businesses. But guess what, in order to feed everyone on the planet, it's impossible to grow all fruits and vegetables organically. Again, aren't vegans supposed to care about all living things, including humans?
Bottom line: I have mad respect for anyone who is vegan and who advises (not forces) their child to be vegan. But I don't know why you all feel the need to make stuff up in order to convince everyone else. Veganism is great for the earth and great for the animals. So eat plants. You don't need to get fancy. Just eat plants. It's really that simple.
September 21, 2016
Vibrantly and adorably illustrated, HELP YOURSELF is lots of fun to look at. Adults and kids alike will want to pull it off the shelf and flip through.
The recipe ideas include many simple-but-healthy snacks, as well as some more complicated recipes that will require help from a parent or teenage sibling. The recipes also rely on whole foods instead of calling for lots of processed and pre-prepared stuff.
It's true, HELP YOURSELF doesn't shy away from calling for some more exotic ethnic ingredients. At first, I thought this could be a bad thing, because it will lead people to think that eating vegan by necessity calls for unusual and hard-to-find foods--which isn't the case. But then, I considered that it's a whole other world out there and not everyone lives in the armpit of the US like I do--for plenty of people, traditional Asian, Indian, Mediterranian, etc. spices and veggies aren't so strange at all. And, trying new healthy foods from various cultures is a good thing that should be encouraged for children. So, if you have access to things like goji berries and mochi, sure, try them. If not, make the other recipes in the book using more familiar ingredients.
The author includes asides about the healthiness and environmental sustainability of plant-based foods, but she does so in an inclusive and non-threatening way. Those who don't eat plant-based all of the time won't feel as if they're being bashed over the head, but just may feel inspired to explore other veg*n recipes, as well.
The recipe ideas include many simple-but-healthy snacks, as well as some more complicated recipes that will require help from a parent or teenage sibling. The recipes also rely on whole foods instead of calling for lots of processed and pre-prepared stuff.
It's true, HELP YOURSELF doesn't shy away from calling for some more exotic ethnic ingredients. At first, I thought this could be a bad thing, because it will lead people to think that eating vegan by necessity calls for unusual and hard-to-find foods--which isn't the case. But then, I considered that it's a whole other world out there and not everyone lives in the armpit of the US like I do--for plenty of people, traditional Asian, Indian, Mediterranian, etc. spices and veggies aren't so strange at all. And, trying new healthy foods from various cultures is a good thing that should be encouraged for children. So, if you have access to things like goji berries and mochi, sure, try them. If not, make the other recipes in the book using more familiar ingredients.
The author includes asides about the healthiness and environmental sustainability of plant-based foods, but she does so in an inclusive and non-threatening way. Those who don't eat plant-based all of the time won't feel as if they're being bashed over the head, but just may feel inspired to explore other veg*n recipes, as well.
February 23, 2019
My son has enjoyed cooking some of the recipes. And it’s written in an engaging manner, with cute illustrations in the style of the author’s other books. However, despite our well-stocked vegan pantry, the book calls for some more unusual (and sometimes expensive) ingredients, which isn’t ideal if you truly want your kids to “help themselves.” It also uses coconut oil more often than I’d like. But still, I like the book overall. And I’m a fan of any book that can get my son excited about helping out in the kitchen and trying new foods.
December 12, 2021
I am unsure what age group this is for. It is mostly raw vegan, which I wasn’t expecting, but from the detailed knife work and advanced flavor profiles the imaginary child reading the book is probably okay using an oven and stove. If you can get your kid to eat a raw Dino kale PBJ wrap I would like to meet you though.
The only foods my child found interesting as we read through together were the pink beet hummus-type dip and the pink beet couscous, because those are pink versions of food she already eats, and that’s pretty wild when you’re 3.
The only foods my child found interesting as we read through together were the pink beet hummus-type dip and the pink beet couscous, because those are pink versions of food she already eats, and that’s pretty wild when you’re 3.
May 18, 2020
Fun ideas for plant-based meals that young children can make with minimal supervision. Everything about this book is kid-friendly.
September 26, 2016
Are you a parent or family member looking for healthy, fun meals for your youngest family members? This fun, new cookbook is a great resource for anyone looking for healthy recipes that will tempt even the pickiest eaters. Not only are all recipes vegan, so they are allergy friendly and environmentally conscious, but the author did a great job of illustrating the cookbook to make it attention-grabbing and fun for kids to look through with you. I loved the author's passion for vegan food and creating an opportunity for kid's to learn about what's good for them and the world around them in a really fun, easy way. The author includes little additions throughout that explain the health benefits of the ingredients in a child-friendly way, and why eating the vegan version of a popular ingredient is better for both the body and the environment. Even I learned quite a bit! If I had kids or young family members, I'd definitely share this cookbook with them. The meals are easy, affordable, and good for everyone involved; It's a win-win!
Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
January 31, 2016
I was hoping this book would target a younger audience, so I would only wait maybe three years instead of ten to share this with my daughter.
The Power tower and party in a cup recipes are good, and exactly what I expected: healthy beginners recipes that use simple ingredients.
But the Drinks are complicated and I wish most of the ingredients used were easy to find and budget friendly. I can work with vegetables, spices, and nuts but my local grocery simply doesn't stock algae.
As far as format, the Illustrations are cute and adult alerts are convenient. It's bright and colorful and seems like it would target 5 and 6 year olds like I was hoping. But the Introduction to kitchen safety could be redone to be shorter or have bigger words. Or even be in black and white so it stands out and lends itself as an Important Page. If I'm not paying attention to it, why will my daughter?
This is also my First Ruby Roth book and wow, vegan propaganda everywhere. But the book itself is a good concept with fun recipes and could be five stars with a little tweaking.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Power tower and party in a cup recipes are good, and exactly what I expected: healthy beginners recipes that use simple ingredients.
But the Drinks are complicated and I wish most of the ingredients used were easy to find and budget friendly. I can work with vegetables, spices, and nuts but my local grocery simply doesn't stock algae.
As far as format, the Illustrations are cute and adult alerts are convenient. It's bright and colorful and seems like it would target 5 and 6 year olds like I was hoping. But the Introduction to kitchen safety could be redone to be shorter or have bigger words. Or even be in black and white so it stands out and lends itself as an Important Page. If I'm not paying attention to it, why will my daughter?
This is also my First Ruby Roth book and wow, vegan propaganda everywhere. But the book itself is a good concept with fun recipes and could be five stars with a little tweaking.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2016
I don't know what kids will think of this book, but as an adult I found the format/appearance of the recipes off-putting. Yes, the pages are colourful and "cool," but a simpler, more straightforward writing would be much easier to read. As it stands, I couldn't be bothered even trying any of the recipes, and I'm not sure a child would make the effort either.
January 20, 2016
Fabulous starter cookbook! It gives so much information about nutrition and makes it fun for kids! My kids enjoyed the colors and trying some of the recipes! Great book!
August 14, 2023
The illustrations of this cookbook were adorable but I honestly cannot see a kid enjoying this as a beginning to cooking. A lot of the ingredients called for, especially to make food colourful and therefore appealing? to kids are pretty expensive and can be hard to find at a basic grocery store. Again, I understand this book is for kids but I did not find many entrees but rather small bites and snacks. It is also a vegetarian cookbook which I love and believe may be a great way to introduce kids to more veg. Overall, a decent book more aimed at the caregivers of these kids I would argue LOL
August 9, 2017
I read a professional review on this book, which sounded good so I got it from the library. I'd planned to look through it with one of my nephews when we were on vacation, see if he might like it, but we didn't have time. And when I read through it after getting home, I pretty much want to buy it for myself! There are some great, simple, tasty things to make relatively quickly. And the book design is a lot of fun.
June 26, 2018
I was excited to read this book because I am was hoping to inspire my kids to cook and try some new Whole Food Plant Based recipes, but I was disappointed. I gave it 3 stars because vegan cookbooks for kids are hard to find, but the content itself was more like 2 stars. The font and format of the book made the recipes really difficult to follow. Second, most recipes use weird ingredients: spirulina powder and goji berries? Too bad!
December 30, 2018
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!
This book is actually very cute and the illustrations are awesome which I think they would be very eye catching to kids (they are the main audience for this recipe book). I also enjoyed all of the facts and notes that each recipe had. However, I do feel like the format is a bit difficult to follow and all of the information is scattered all over the place.
This book is actually very cute and the illustrations are awesome which I think they would be very eye catching to kids (they are the main audience for this recipe book). I also enjoyed all of the facts and notes that each recipe had. However, I do feel like the format is a bit difficult to follow and all of the information is scattered all over the place.
May 18, 2023
Loved the recipes in this book. Lots of good info in the beginning glossary to help new (and seasoned) plant-based parents with knowing the nutrients in vegan food. The only critique I’ll give is if you’re not used to buying new and rare ingredients, you may be discouraged from trying some recipes. But overall I love the way the book is put together and even makes it fun for kids to read and explain to them the power and impact on the planet of eating vegan!
May 1, 2019
I read the google preview. First off The font is stupid, very hard to read. They curve the words around the pictures and that made it harder to read. They have decent recipes but if this is for kids I wouldn't recommend it. The colors contrast a lot. Also hard to get and expensive ingredient like blue-green algae which really isn't that healthy for you but yeah.
August 2, 2020
It’s a very cute cook book with great illustrations. However the recipes were not appealing to my son. He’s very picky and there were a lot of uncommon ingredients. He was willing to try one recipe for a type of date ball, and it didn’t taste great so he wasn’t willing to try any more. I was very disappointed with this book.
September 17, 2017
When I have picked up this book, I wrongly assumed it is a book for kids to make things. Edible things. Well, never judge a book by its cover. It is a book for adults with too much time who want to spend "quality time". The drawings are ugly. The text is hard to read.
April 27, 2023
51/200 for Mama in 2023
1/10 print books for Mama in 2023
I snagged this when I spotted it in a Little Free Library for Kiddo, who loves looking through my cookbooks and cooking with me. Looking forward to cooking some of these recipes together.
1/10 print books for Mama in 2023
I snagged this when I spotted it in a Little Free Library for Kiddo, who loves looking through my cookbooks and cooking with me. Looking forward to cooking some of these recipes together.
December 24, 2018
This is the first cookbook that I have chosen for me and my girls to try all the way through. This book has some unique, fun and easy recipes. And a little bit of kid info stuck in there too.
February 23, 2019
Book was a little too busy, kids were interested but the content wasn’t that great
January 18, 2020
This includes some good recipes with easy instructions and illustrations.
April 29, 2020
We love this book! I have found two of my favorite recipes in this book I bought for my daughter. The illustrations and general content are super fun and silly. Would definitely recommend!
November 22, 2020
Cute illustrations, but the recipes felt mostly like spreading dip on a tortilla, not actually cooking.
Want to read
April 17, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
September 15, 2022
As an adult, I loved the easy recipes and attention to colour combinations and few ingredients. I liked content about unfamiliar foods and benefits.
Want to read
April 24, 2025A
June 16, 2025
This book was absolutely made with kids in mind, great recipes, cute drawings, and useful tips.
August 28, 2016
This is the most adorable cookbook ever! I adore the presentation entirely, and it was eye-catching enough that my kid suggested we should buy the book. Now, realistically, just because it is adorbs does not equate with if it would actually get used.
I agree with other reviewers that the font could be challenging to read depending on the reader, and I have already tried to sway my kid to avocado chocolate pudding (he loves both things separately! Why not together??) -- I'm not holding my breath that cute moose on a page will cause a change of heart/taste buds. I also have my doubts about if he will go for chia... Anyway, maybe there is possibility for this artistic venture to inspire trying some new things.
There are statements/info about being vegan in here as well, and I always see such things as opportunities for discussion. They can be easily emphasized or ignored, or talked about if you want to get into more of the nuance of the topic. Focusing on the recipes and design, this is a fun one to give a try (yay, libraries!) My personal interest in easy, minimal ingredient recipes will probably having me trying some for these for myself, at the very least.
I agree with other reviewers that the font could be challenging to read depending on the reader, and I have already tried to sway my kid to avocado chocolate pudding (he loves both things separately! Why not together??) -- I'm not holding my breath that cute moose on a page will cause a change of heart/taste buds. I also have my doubts about if he will go for chia... Anyway, maybe there is possibility for this artistic venture to inspire trying some new things.
There are statements/info about being vegan in here as well, and I always see such things as opportunities for discussion. They can be easily emphasized or ignored, or talked about if you want to get into more of the nuance of the topic. Focusing on the recipes and design, this is a fun one to give a try (yay, libraries!) My personal interest in easy, minimal ingredient recipes will probably having me trying some for these for myself, at the very least.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews