What is your go-to sweet? Perhaps a piece of dark chocolate filled with caramel and topped with sea salt or a chewy and crunch Nerd cluster… Ok, those are my picks. I’ve got your sweet tooth covered with these sweet reads. This list is full of one category of books about food that is sure to be the kids’ favorite.
Books for Kids About Sweets
From candies to pies, you’ll find some sweet reads to enjoy. And, I even have a way for you to turn this yummy reads into a Family Dinner Book Club so keep reading.
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Cut a Slice of These Books About Cakes
A Sweet New Year for Ren by Michelle Sterling is a beautiful celebration of food, family, and celebration. I’m smitten with the illustrations by Dung Ho. They are fabulous.
Ren’s family has gathered to prepare for Lunar New Year. Ren wants to help make her favorite pineapple cakes. A recipe is included for pineapple cakes which I’ll be making these real soon!
Marigold is a cat with a personality. Marigold Bakes a Cake by Mike Malbrough is a funny tale of a cat who just wants to spend his Monday making a cake. But, things don’t go according to plan.
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco is a beautiful story about a grandmother helping her granddaughter overcome her fear of thunderstorms as they busily gather items to make a thunder cake before the summer storm arrives. A recipe for the yummy cake is included.
Apple Cake a Gratitude by Dawn Casey showcases gratitude for all the things and people who help to create a delicious apple cake. A recipe is also included for apple cake.
Savor These Books About Chocolate for Children
Imagine suiting up and traveling through the chocolate pipes of a candy factory. Yes, please! In Oh, Ducky! A Chocolate Calamity by David Glonim you get to do that because there is a clog in the chocolate pipe at Yum, Yum Chocolate Candy Factory. It’s a silly tale that will delight every little sweet tooth reader. After reading, children will be inspired to design their own candy trucks too!
Here is a nonfiction pick featuring On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue: How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America Tziporah Cohen. Learn about the person behind one of the most iconic chocolates in America.
Then, use this book as a springboard for a Family Dinner Book Club (see below).
Learn all about how chocolate is made in From Cocoa Beans to Chocolate by Bridget Heos. There is even a map of where cocoa bean trees are grown around the world.
Chomp on These Books About Cookies for Kids
Read Cookie Queen: How One Girl Started TATE’S BAKE SHOP® Kathleen King. Have you ever had a Tate’s cookie? Meet the woman behind that cookie in this inspirational read. You can even make one of the first cookies Kate and her father made together.
Cookies are the missing stars of The Real Story by Sergio Ruzzier. The cookies are missing and Cat is looking for the real story about where they have gone from Mouse. Well, Mouse tells Cat some stories about the missing cookies. Grab the cookies and enjoy reading this silly tale and then have a discussion about telling the truth.
Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin celebrates that favorite part of a Chinese meal- the fortune cookies. Do those fortunes come true?
The farmer feeds the horses hay and the dog doggie treats, but the cow loves cookies! I mean who doesn’t like cookies?! Well, if the cow brings cookies what might the cow bring to go with those cookies? So much rhythm and rhyme make this a delightful read-aloud for story time. Grab a copy of Karma Wilson’s The Cow Loves Cookies.
A kind man bakes cookies for his neighbors to celebrate all the little and big moments. His anonymous acts of kindness come to a standstill when he becomes ill though. Soon though, his neighbors come to help him. Read The Cookie Maker of Mavin Road by Sue Lawson.
Dive Into These Delicious Doughnut Reads
Doughnuts do not love me but I sure love them. I dedicated a whole book list to the topic for you.—> Books About Donuts for Kids
Chill Out With These Books About Ice Cream and Popsicles
I have a whole list of books on this topic for you.—> Books About Ice Cream and Popsicles
Slice Up a Little Reading With These Books About Pies for Kids
The Blueberry Pie Elf by Jane Thayer is an older book about an elf who loves blueberry pie. He’s determined to let the family of humans know that he wants them to make another blueberry pie.
Strong family ties and creative problem-solving is in store when you enjoy Sweet Potato Pie by Kathleen Lindsey. Sadie’s family is faced with a drought. The sweet potatoes are the only crop that can be saved. With money being tight, the family comes up with the idea to turn those sweet potatoes into sweet potato pies and sell them at the Harvest Celebration. It takes a lot of hard work to pull off the pie-making process. All hands are on deck. Best of all…there is a recipe for sweet potato pie including a homemade flaky crust in the back of the book.
Peyton is not a fan of trying new foods. She is determined to try something new this Thanksgiving. She’s chosen pie to be that food. Now, which one will she try? As the visitors bring the pies… Lemon Chess Pie Ruffled Milk Pie Plum Galette Peyton just isn’t sure any of them sound normal and plain enough to try. But, then she discovers pie à la mode and now pie isn’t sounding as scary anymore. Bring on the pie. Read Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie by Jack Bishop to find out which pie Peyton tries. Then, enjoy the pie recipe included in the book.
I’ve never understood food-eating competitions. They creep me out. But if I was forced to be a part of a food-eating competition, pies would be my choice. More Pies by Robert Munsch is the story of a boy with a big appetite that leads him to a pie-eating competition. Will Samuel win the prize pie? Children will enjoy joining in on the repetitive phrase, ” chuka-chuka-chuka-chuka-chuka-chuka-CHOMP!”
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman takes us on an adventure around the world to collect the ingredients needed to make an apple pie. Travel to Sri Lanka for cinnamon and Jamaica for sugar. Then, get home and make the tasty recipe in the back of the book. Yum! Yum! Do you have a favorite type of pie? I’m partial to cherry.
Read More Sweet Reads
In Cook-A-Doodle-Doo, Rooster pulls out his Great Granny’s cookbook and finds a yummy recipe for strawberry shortcake. He then finds some friends- Turtle, Iguana and Potbellied Pig to help him create the dessert. Well, lots of mistakes and learning along the way finally result in a yummy strawberry delight.
From Key Slime Pie to Screech Cobbler, you’ll be baking right along in Monster Baker by Laura Lavoie. It’s Grandmonster’s 247th birthday and that calls for a special treat. What will be on the menu? This book even has a recipe for Chocolate Cherry Scaries.
Kadooboo! A Silly South Indian Folktale by Shruthi Rao takes us on an adventure while a community tags along with a child headed home with some yummy warm kadooboo. A recipe is included in the back of the book.
Sweets Family Dinner Book Club
Use the books above to create your very own Family Dinner Book Club. I have everything you need to have a successful book club.
- Great Book List
- Conversation Starters
- Themed Menu
Book List
Our featured read-aloud for Family Dinner Book Club is On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue: How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America Tziporah Cohen, but you could also read a different book from the list above or even more than one. A printable list of books is included below.
Conversation Starters
Here are a few discussion starters to jumpstart your dinner book club conversation. These are also included in the printable below.
- What do you know about where chocolate comes from and how it is made? What questions do you have about chocolate?
- What is your favorite type of chocolate?
- What did you find the most interesting about the book we read?
- Do you think it would be healthy to eat chocolate every day? Why?
- How many things can you name that are made from chocolate?
- If someone didn’t like chocolate, what other sweets or desserts would you recommend?
Sweet Themed Menu
Enjoy these menu ideas and recipes for a fun and festive dinner while you discuss the book of the month. The menu and links are also included in the free printable below.
CHOCOLATE CHIP CORNBREAD MUFFINS
CHOCOLATE MILK
Printable Sweet Reads Book List and Resource Pages
Grab the printable resource pack that includes the book list, conversation starters, and menu. Just click the purple button below.
Enjoy these sweet reads!
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