One Bite Won't Kill You: More than 200 Recipes to Tempt Even the Pickiest Kids on Earth Paperback – October 7, 1999

I don't often write reviews, but this time I felt I had to. I got this book so I could cook meals for my picky children, based on the name of the book alone--I didn't have any of Ann Hodgman's other books. Now I am planning to buy them! Not only are the recipes easy to follow, and delicious, but it is an entertaining read as well! I have laughed out loud several times while going through the book, trying to decide what to make for dinner. The only downfall I can see is that there are no photos of the dishes, but they aren't exactly the kinds of things you would need a picture for. I am just a sucker for cookbooks with big, glossy color photos! I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes homecooked dinners and needs ideas for something new. We have already added a few of these recipes to our list of family favorites!

This book is very funny and has some yummy recipes. Our favorite and most used recipe out of the book is Apple Pizzas. Try it!!

I would really like to recommend One Bite Won't Kill You by Ann Hodgman. It is a GREAT cookbook for picky eaters. It is not so much that the recipes are great (though they are) as her attitude when writing it. It really perks up your day to know that someone is writing a cookbook and really seems to GET kids.She has fun recipes with real kid friendly ingredients such as Tater Tot Surprise and Nonthreating Cheese Fondue, but she also writes in a way that will get most parents smiling even with the food battle getting ready to come:Nonthreating Cheese Fondue "...The fondue concept is so perfect for children -- it's so nice and violent, stabbing something with a fork and drowning it in a vat--that poisoning the cheese with wine is lunacy. But this recipe wouldn't dream of doing anything silly like this. This recipe LIKES children."It is not a fancy cookbook. But it is a cookbook that has food with ingredients that you can find, are likely in your house anyway and isn't all preachy and nasty about the foods your kid SHOULD be eating. And the foods taste good. And my kids eat them. Also her essay in the back "Why None of This Matters" is really great too.

I admit I bought this more for the Roz Chast illustrations- which I adore!-than for the recipes.However, after perusing the recipes, I am planning to order at least another 2 copies to give to people who I think would benefit from it.I do not think moms are required to be short-order cooks subjected to the whims of their progeny. However, having some basic recipes that even picky eaters can probably handle is a huge help.This cookbook has recipes that are very accessible even to the pickiest of eaters. Some are really easy; some require more effort...but they all look tasty. There are veg dishes that I think would appeal to most kid fussy eaters, for example.The voice commenting on the recipes is a lot of fun, and- Roz Chast illustrations!!!

The kids may or may not see fit to eat the meals you prepare from this book, but it's a hoot to leaf through it and read Ms. Hodgman's comments and tales of trying to get the little ones to EAT something other than chocolate! I thought some of the recipes sounded like non-starters as far as my own kids went, but most of them are worth making at least once, and who knows? You might actually find something that appeals to your own fussy eaters!

Half and half: Some good recipes, the rest of the recipes you already have or don't really want. I felt like the author had about the same cooking skills that I do, and just wrapped it up in a witty book. Lots of things we would have eaten as kids in the 60s and 70s, and about as healthy as those "health" guidelines were at the time too. Still, I have to admit, all the things I have made from this book are quite tasty. They may not impress if the queen comes to dinner, and they aren't very new or fancy, but they are tasty. As for kids eating....they ate what I made, but I was quite judicious in what I chose to make (as in lots of recipes got rejected). Ultimately, if you are buying this book you probably are looking to find new foods your kid will eat....there are enough recipes here that you will find at minimum 3 or 4 new things that your kids will now eat, and most likely more than that if you keep trying more of the recipes. For that, I think the money was well-spent.

I've tried to email Ann Hodgman, author of One Bite Won't Kill You, to tell her that I'm sure we'd be best friends if we corresponded. :-) Not only is she a wonderful, intelligent, humorous writer, but she's got valuable things to say--not just about food and recipes, but about how blessed we are as a nation to have more than enough food. So much food, in fact, that we can be picky about what we eat, whether we're children or adults.This book is filled with recipes for picky-picky-picky eaters, with modifications that make them more grownup-friendly. Lots of anecdotes about picky eaters and embarrassing food moments, too.If you enjoy this book, read Beat This! and Beat That! (also cookbooks) and I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus, a nonfiction book about restoring a measure of sanity to the way we mothers try to manage Christmas celebrations--all books by Ann Hodgman.Ann, if you read this, email me! :-)

Yes, it is a humorous read. It has some good ideas. But these recipes rely heavily on processed convenience foods which I am trying to shift AWAY from using. The "Sneaky Chef" books are better, with more of a reliance on fresh veggies and home-cooked foods. What I am wishing for is a cookbook for picky eaters (which is me) that has NO recipes containing cheese or yogurt. THAT is the pickiness in this household and I have not found ONE SINGLE cookbook to suit me. I tried out this book from the library. I will not be buying a copy. As it turns out, I AM the pickiest eater on earth, and this book is not for me.

The recipes are missing ingredients, have insufficient quantities, incorrect cooking times and ultimately, which is worse, taste awful if they don't clog your arteries first. My 5 year old takes one bite out of the resulting food and refuses to touch the rest of his plate; frankly, I struggle to eat it myself.