Loaves of Fun: A History of Bread with Activities and Recipes from Around the World

What a great book. We incorporated it into our homeschool curriculum (great for the kid who enjoys cooking!). In addition to the fascinating historical and cultural tour, the recipes are delicious, and provide an opportunity to work with all those tricky fractions as well. We're looking forward to more books by the Harbisons.

My daughter needed this book for a school report she was doing, and I picked it up one night and started flipping through it. To my surprise, I really got interested. This is a very informative book and the illustrations are just adorable. Highly recommended!

This winsome little book is designed to take readers on a gastronomical journey through the history of the world. The history of bread is, according to the Introduction, also the history of civilzation and this book is one delicious way to make that discovery. The heart of the book consists of a timeline history of bread, beginning at 73,000 B.C. in Asia when bread began as a lumpy concoction of mashed grain and water, and ending with a look inside a modern bakery, accompanied by recipes for white bread, French bread, croutons and French Toast. Scattered along this timeline are historical tidbits and bread making stories from various cultures both ancient and modern. Readers will learn why the ancient Egyptians are credited with the discovery of yeast breads, why the Pilgrims often ate their biscuts in the dark, why Marie Antoinette allegedly said, "Let them eat cake," and how John Montague, the English Earl of Sandich, came to invent the popular lunchbox fare. Naturally the book includes plenty of tempting recipes to try out as well. including colonial Johnnycakes, Sally Lunn from nineteenth-century England, and Moravian Christmas bread. There are even recipes for readers who, instead of baking, would rather use bread-making ingredients to create gooey mixtures in the kitchen. Poster paints, squeeze paints, and play dough, for instance, can be made from flour, water, salt, sugar and oil. And those of a scientific mind can grow a little mold in honor of Sir Alexander Fleming or use a simple yeasty mixture to blow up a balloon. Since all cultures throughout history have had some kind of bread at nearly every meal, one could say that bread is the common gluten that binds us all together. LOAVES OF FUN offers a fun and tasty way for homeschooling families to combine a little history with their bread baking -- and eating -- endeavors." -Joan Torkildson, Home Education Magazine, May-June 1997

Sure you've eaten white, rye and wheat bread. But how about Welsh Rabbit, Amish Friendship Bread and Jewish challah? These and other interesting breads are made around the world. Hear all about them in LOAVES OF FUN: A HISTORY OF BREAD WITH ACTIVITIES AND RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. The book, which contains over 30 recipes and activities, also explains how French toast, pretzels and the first sandwiches were created.-YES Magazine, May/June 1997

LOAVES OF FUN is a way to learn that however different people of the world may seem, nearly everyone shares in the common denominator of bread. With more than 30 recipes and activities, this lovely book takes kids on a multicultural journey through the ages and across the globe to discover bread and the people who created, cooked, ate, and enjoyed it. Along the way kids will encounter prehistoric people, French aristocracy, Pilgrims on their journey to America, Romans on their way to the forum, medieval lords and ladies, ancient Egyptians, and a host of other characters from cultures far and wide. There's some delicious food to be had on the journey too, including Colonial Corn bread, Middle Eastern pita, German pretzels, French baguettes, Mexican New Year's bread, Amish friendship bread, and more. -The International Cookbook Revue, September-October 1997