Tyler Makes Spaghetti by Food Network Star Tyler Florence

     "It's important that the very first spoon of food you put in your child's mouth is the most densely nutritious, most delicious thing."--Tyler Florence, in an interview with The Washington Post on May 11, 2011.

     Tyler Florence knows all about creating, "nutritious, most delicious things."  He has been a Food Network staple for over sixteen years, published seven bestselling cookbooks, and has founded a successful, organic baby food line called Sprout.  So, it would be a natural progression for Florence to take his passion for promoting the importance of our children learning about and eating healthy foods directly to, who else, our children.  His first children's book, Tyler Makes Pancakes, was published in April of 2012.  Tyler Makes Spaghetti is Florence's follow-up to his successful debut.
   

Out tale begins where readers catch up with young Tyler and his faithful canine companion, Tofu who have arrived at Chef Lorenzo Mascarpone's (I love the subtle use of food ingredients as character names!) Ristorante Italia, anxiously awaiting the secret on creating Chef Mascarpone's famous spaghetti and meatballs. 
     Chef Mascarpone invites Tyler and Tofu on an adventure to locate all of the ingredients that they will need to make the dish.  Florence cleverly incorporates the use of food history and sequence as Tyler, Tofu and Chef Mascarpone are on their journey to locate all of the special, delicious ingredients that they will need to make spaghetti and meatballs.  We learn how long tomatoes should be kept on the vine, as, "the longer they are left on the vine, the better they taste for my sauce and your sandwich, too," says Chef Mascarpone, to how oil comes out of a tiny olive, "some place use special machines, but in some towns they still do it the old-fashioned way, with a giant stone wheel."
     Tyler Makes Spaghetti is a great book for families who want to get their little ones learning about food and the importance of creating healthy meals together to share.

***Momma's Note:  In the interest of full disclosure, for several years, I will admit to have taken Tyler Florence's recipe for meatballs (I tend to substitute ground turkey and a little bit of chopped prosciutto instead of the ground beef & pork) from the Food Network website, and passed them off as my "great, great grandma's secret family meatballs."  Sorry, Tyler, but they're just too good! :)  You'll see what I mean:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/spaghetti-and-meatballs-receipe2/index.html


Tyler Makes Spaghetti
Written by Tyler Florence & Illustrated by Craig Fraizer
Publisher:  Harper (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)-2013
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0-06-204756-4
For ages 4 thru 8