The Fun of Cooking: A Story for Girls and Boys — Story, Setting & Ideas

From Christmas Kitchen to Campfire: The Movement of Scenes

The book's eight chapters are organized around specific occasions—'The Day Before Christmas,' 'Supper at the House in the Woods,' 'The Birthday Picnic,' 'In Camp'—each a self-contained episode that introduces a handful of recipes. This episodic structure allows Benton to vary the setting and the cooking method: indoor baking gives way to outdoor roasting, and formal party dishes alternate with simple camp fare. The movement from house to woods is not merely decorative; it teaches that cooking adapts to place. In camp, Father Blair boils corn in a kettle and roasts it over coals, demonstrating two methods for the same ingredient. The scenes themselves become a kind of curriculum, progressing from basic tasks (making biscuits) to more complex ones (baking a whole fish).

Recurring Images: Fire, Food, and Shared Labor

Fire appears repeatedly as both a practical tool and a source of warmth and sociability. In the camp chapters, the coals are used for roasting corn, and the stove's oven is described as 'a treasure' for baking fish. The image of food being prepared over an open flame—'roasting corn over a bed of coals'—recurs in the illustrations as well. Equally persistent is the motif of shared work: Jack and his father cook together, and the narrative emphasizes cooperation. 'I like the big loaf,' says Jack, and his father replies, 'Biscuits are for a house.' These small exchanges reinforce the idea that cooking is a collaborative, enjoyable activity, not a solitary chore.

Embedded Recipes as Narrative Devices

Recipes in The Fun of Cooking are not set apart in a separate section; they appear within the dialogue and action. For example, when Jack's father explains how to boil corn, the instructions are given in his spoken words, then repeated in a formatted recipe block. This dual presentation—first as conversation, then as formal directions—bridges story and instruction. The recipes themselves are simple and period-appropriate: boiled onions, camp pudding made with prunes and bread, baked fish with stuffing. By embedding them in scenes, Benton makes the cooking steps feel like part of the plot, not interruptions. The reader learns alongside the characters, and the recipes gain a narrative context that a standard cookbook lacks.

Voice and Address: The Reader as Participant

Benton's narrator frequently speaks directly to the reader, using second-person address and colloquial asides: 'all you do is to make the dough into little balls.' This technique blurs the line between story and instruction, positioning the reader as a fellow cook. The tone is encouraging and slightly mischievous—'Too bad your mother and the girls can't know about it. But they will never know!'—creating a sense of shared secret between the adult author and the child reader. The illustrations by Sarah K. Smith reinforce this participatory feel, showing children actively engaged in cooking tasks. The overall effect is that of a friendly guide rather than a distant teacher, making the book feel like a conversation about food rather than a lecture.

Readers approaching The Fun of Cooking should attend to how its structure—moving from holiday kitchen to campfire to school party—mirrors the expanding world of a child learning to cook. The book rewards those who read the recipes as part of the story, noticing how each new setting introduces a different cooking challenge. The illustrations, too, offer clues: they show not just finished dishes but children in the act of measuring, stirring, and tasting. This is a book best experienced as a narrative, not consulted as a reference.

There's something touching about how Benton’s family gathers around the stove, fire doing its quiet work while hands pass flour and salt. It makes me think of the old manuals, too—Carving and Serving — Key Ideas to Explore—where the same patient attention turns a roast into a shared ceremony. That gentle formality feels like a lost sort of kindness.