Edit 5/3/19. The Celia and Cedric is no longer in production. Therefore we have removed the links from the following copy below. Check out our Kids Eat page for more food inspiration for kids.
I’m always looking for interesting books to read that engage my kids and teach them something new and fun. The recently launched book series, The Yummy Adventures of Celia and Cedric, do just that, with an additional bonus to get kids excited about healthy eating.
If you have little ones like I do (my kids are 4 and 6) you might find picky eating to be the norm. My kids can be extremely picky when it comes to (surprise) anything green or healthy looking. I often involve them in the kitchen to open up their palettes and find they’re more apt to try new foods when they have a hand in making it.
Teaching healthy eating habits along with imaginative storytelling in an interactive way is what you’ll find in Celia and Cedric’s adventures.
Currently there are 3 books in the series; 1) Little Green Dragon; 2) Amazing Apples!; and 3) Eat Dirt Balls!
The book series is authored by Erin Kurt, a former elementary school teacher, and her mother Laara Exsnar, a holistic nutritionist. The inspiration for making the books interactive with recipes came from Kurt applying the technique of finding a recipe for a book to her students when a food was mentioned. She found sharing recipes engaged the students more when they were able to experience it.
My kids and I dug into the books upon receiving them and they were quickly engaged from beginning to end.
Little Green Dragon is about Celia and Cedric chasing an imaginary green dragon and making a green smoothie recipe to gain their energy as a result of chasing him around. What I love about the book is being able see illustrations of the characters making the recipe as part of the story.
Amazing Apples! is the book in which Celia and Cedric meet as neighbors in a town called Healthville where Celia’s dad is the manager of the natural food store. Celia shares with Cedric that the mayor named the town Healthville because he felt less sick after eating healthier. To welcome Cedric’s family to town, Celia decides to make him her favorite apple cake. Along the story, the families join for dinner and tell the children interesting nutritional facts such as why Vitamin C is good for you and what it does.
The third book in the series, Dirt Balls!, was hands-down my kids’ favorite. They loved the story of Celia and Cedric playing in the yard. making dirt balls, and then learning how to make the real thing with Celia’s mom. These dirt balls (a.k.a energy balls) are also featured in a recipe.
After reading this particular book, the kids and I decided to make Celia and Cedric’s Dirt Ball recipe which includes healthy ingredients like chia seed and nut or seed butter.
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We followed the recipe in the book and the kids dug in enthusiastically, my daughter reading the ingredients and next steps to her little brother. Of course I was there to supervise and offer any help, but overall, it was a fun and simple recipe that kids age 6+ could very well manage on their own with minimal help.
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The kids’ favorite part was of course rolling the “dirt balls” around with their hands and feeling the texture with their fingers.
When we were done, we had a delicious snack that was simple to make filled with nutritious ingredients. The whole family had a couple of dirt balls and they were so tasty!
One thing that’s great about The Yummy Adventures of Celia and Cedric is that it’s an interactive experience for children – from engaging with the characters and following along their imaginative stories, to applying the fun facts learned into a recipe kids are proud of making. It was gratifying to see the smiles on my children’s faces after they made a recipe from the book.
The books also include Nutrition Notes in the back about the ingredients composing each recipe, so kids can find out what chia seed is all about and other healthful ingredients.
Although slim in size so they’re easy to take anywhere, The Yummy Adventures of Celia and Cedric books are jam-packed with engaging stories and facts so they are definitely ones I recommend sitting down with children and reading to them – although my 6 year old was able to read most of the stories to her younger brother.
You can purchase The Yummy Adventures of Celia and Cedric books here or find out more on their website.
Currently there’s a great offer to receive 3 bonus gifts if you purchase all 3 books in the series; bonus 1 is the Snappy Snacks eBook with 15 healthy snacks to make; bonus 2 is a guide to the top 10 Things Children Really Want Their Parents to Do With them; and bonus 3 is Whoosh Breath, a comforting audio track that helps kids calm down right before bedtime.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by The Yummy Adventures of Celia and Cedric and I received the book series for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.