Picture cook See. make. eat

Media designer Shelly's debut recalls Robert H. Loeb Jr.'s 1952 cookbook Date Bait, which used humor and simplified step-by-step illustrations to make cooking less daunting for midcentury teens. Shelly's contemporary pictorial cookbook is more minimal (there's no dating advice here) but equally unintimidating, and readers will find it hard not to smile at whimsical drawings of white lasagna, nutty quinoa, Immortality Smoothie, and other easy dishes. Those accustomed to glossy photographs may need coaxing to try these recipes, but they'll find them freeing as there's no risk of a disappointing comparison between page and plate. VERDICT A treat for visual learners, beginning readers, young people, new cooks, and anyone who enjoys graphic design. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.