This is such a wonderful outdoors cooking book for kids. "Cooking on a Stick" is a thorough approach for children to experience a campfire. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an introduction to campfire cooking, whether they are kids or adults. It is the perfect opportunity for kids and others to get outside and share the enjoyment of working around the campfire.

To begin, the illustrations are bright and wonderful. They are cute and attractive, and drew even myself to the book. If you want to read a book by it's cover, this is the one to do it with! Although "Cooking on a Stick" runs only 48 pages, it is packed with information. Children and people of all ages can learn from this book, and will enjoy the recipes and ideas that are offered.

"Cooking on a Stick" begins with an introduction section. The introduction gives a good insight into fire safety rules and how to start a fire. The reader is provided with all the necessary information and background on campfires in order to be safe, make a functional fire, and cook a good meal. The author takes special measures to make sure that kids are safe in campfire food production, and stresses things such as having an adult helper, being careful with knives, and appropriate behavior around a campfire.

The next two sections or chapters are simply lists- a cooking equipment list (which includes a first aid kit!) and a packing list. I think this is great, and should be well appreciated, because it prepares the reader for the campfire in a very straightforward manner.

Now... we are ready to cook. Well, maybe not. The author takes a moment and prepares the reader with cooking tools and methods. One of the first recipes is for "Beary Basic Biscuit Mix", which is a setup for some of the other recipes. Each of the recipes has a really cute title, the first being "Snail on a Limb". There are 24 total recipes, many of which are quite creative. You will most likely recognize S'mores (I hope!) and GORP, which is a staple of many. I kind of laughed in seeing those recipes in the book, because they are so popular, but then I realized that you wouldn't be able to write a book like this without having the basics!

The recipes are simple, for the most part, and are broken into "What You Need" and "What You Do". Each recipe page also lists what kind of dish the food is, what type of cooking it is, and sometimes gives a brief description of the recipe. Each page is colorfully illustrated with bright and informative pictures. I think this gives kids a great way to join in to campfire cooking and be able to take on their own projects and responsibility.

I found only one general downside to "Cooking on a Stick". Several of the recipes have meat in them, and I would have liked to see options for either vegetarians or for those hiking into the backcountry (where meat would go bad). I'm sure most of us vegetarians out there have the initiave to figure out what alternatives can be used (and hey, maybe I'll write my own book!).

This book caught my eye, and I'm looking forward to using it for myself! Although it is small, it is packed with information and is a great introduction to campfire cooking. I recommend the NOLS (Northern Outdoor Leadership School) Cookbook for those who are interested in more hard-core experience in backcountry type cooking. I think that in general, this book is a great foundation for campfire cooking, and inspires one to be creative and interested in further cooking.

Recommended: Yes