Each book begins with kitchen basics—safety, ingredients, equipment, techniques—necessary to prepare the volumes “food art.” Photographs provide clear step-by-step instructions as well as images of the finished products. . .[and] improvisation is encouraged.

. . .this series assumes a. . .comfortable footing with cooking and encourages readers to stretch their imaginations beyond the eight dishes offered in each title. Helpful starting points include a page devoted to foods that can be made into facial features: eyes (blueberries on banana slices, grape halves on marshmallows), noses (cantaloupe ball, baby carrot), and mouths (lemon slice, red pepper top). Some of the finished products that evoke the works of Saxton Freymann require paring-knife skills; others involve simply shaping the food and arranging it on the plate or cupcake. All of the projects require adult supervision. . . .The ingredients mesh well to make dishes that will taste as appealing as they look