Harbison, Elizabeth M. Loaves of Fun: A History of Bread with Activities and Recipes from Around the World. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1997. Print

Annotation: This soft cover book is a multicultural exploration of bread and the people who love to make and eat it. Arranged along a Timeline, which is shown on a banner above the first page of each chapter, this book combines world history with bread-making. Each chapter begins with a short explanation of the country or region and era of the origin of the featured bread, along with a story about how and why this particular recipe evolved. The recipes are simple enough for a child to make with adult supervision in the average American kitchen. Sidebars contain facts about a bread from another country or time that has some similarity to the featured recipe, such as both being street food or having similar ingredients. There is a chapter about the Kitchen and Cooking Tips which includes Materials and Measuring Equivalents. There is a Glossary but no Index. Written in a conversational tone accessible to kids, the reading level is middle- to upper –elementary.

Rationale: Bake your way through the ages! Learn about various peoples throughout the ages by baking breads they would have eaten every day or on special occasions. It’s an interesting read even if you never turn on the oven.