Rating: 
Summary: What's the problem with Old Black Joe?
Review: Another reviewer complained that this vintage reprint did not bow to the god of political correctness by including a recipe called "Old Black Joe". Setting aside the initial (Pavlovian?) reaction some folks seem to be conditioned to have at the word "black", what precisely is "racially offensive" about this recipe? Is the "Old Black Joe" depicted in the book unemployed, behind bars, drinking a 40 oz., smoking crack, fathering other recipes out of wedlock, or exhibiting any other stereotypically negative "black" behavior? Uh...no. The shriveled prune in the recipe is made to resemble the wrinkled face of an elderly person. The dark color of the prune suggests an "African American". If the prune happened to be pale in color, the recipe could just as easily have been "Old White Granny" without skipping a beat. Please people, let's stop barking on command and begin using our brains again.
Rating:
Summary: Great Cookbook for Kids
Review: I had this book when I was young and enjoyed the recipes. These are not for the true beginner but for children that have had a little experience with cooking. Not only are these easy and fun recipes but they actually taste great. Highly recommend the "Big Fat Cookies" "Banana Boats" But the "Pink Elephants" are not very good at all. Different recipes for the different holidays, full menus in the back and cooking instructions in the front. A great gift for your little cook for lots of fun. It sure worked on me, I still love to cook!
Rating:
Summary: Yay! It's back!
Review: I have a dilapidated copy of this book that a friend bought for me. I really enjoy it for the copy, illustrations, and the garish color inserts. But most of all, the recipes are fun, quick, easy, and generally delicious. My kids and I enjoy them and my husband begs me to make the drop biscuits about once a week. Of course, some of the copy is hokey, some of the illustrations are corny, and some of the recipe names are goofy, something that some people might take offense to now. However, it would be a mistake to not own this cookbook because of a line drawing and text that appear on one quarter of a page. One hopes that a person who purchases a retro cookbook reproduction can understand that times have changed, and our ideas about racism, as well as nutrition, have evolved since the original publication date.
Rating: 
Summary: Not An Authentic Reproduction
Review: I have several copies of the original Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls and have found deletions of some of the old recipes in the new reproduction. There is no Easy Orange Cake and Clear Orange Sauce in the new. I noted several other changes too! On p.62 in the old is the recipe for Chocolate Fudge Milk Shake and in the new is Cake and Frosting Mix. I was very excited about hearing that they were going to reprint this recipe book as my original copy was completely falling apart. I had bought several on an auction site to hand down to my kids that were not in good shape. I was going to buy the new one until I went through it and found that it is a revised reproduction and not a genuine reproduction. I would have liked them to have revised it by giving the exact old recipes and writing what changes were to be made if items were no longer available.
Rating:
Summary: Yay! It's back!
Review: I just checked my copy of this book...NOT the reproduction but the original thing from the very early 60's (I'm 43), and I was young enough to have scribbled with a red marker in it. The recipe everyone is worried about being politically correct, at least in my old book, is "Old Hobo Joe," not "Old Black Joe," and yes, it's a prune on cereal. I guess you can infer from the color of a prune that the hobo on the cereal is a prune-of-color, wearing a banana and cherry hat. I'm more offended by his neighbor on this page whose name is "Fatso," who is a half a peach on Cheerios. There is also a "Little Man Who Wasn't There," who is a half a banana on Kix cereal, and the orange slice for his hat makes it appear to be a sombrero. Do you suppose he's from Mexico? Anyway....I'm just having fun here! The name is "Old Hobo Joe," at least in my old cookbook, and I loved that cookbook & used the heck out of it, along with my mom! This is a wonderful classic, & if you're looking at this page, you really should buy a copy!!!
Rating:
Summary: It's only a cookbook....
Review: I just checked my copy of this book...NOT the reproduction but the original thing from the very early 60's (I'm 43), and I was young enough to have scribbled with a red marker in it. The recipe everyone is worried about being politically correct, at least in my old book, is "Old Hobo Joe," not "Old Black Joe," and yes, it's a prune on cereal. I guess you can infer from the color of a prune that the hobo on the cereal is a prune-of-color, wearing a banana and cherry hat. I'm more offended by his neighbor on this page whose name is "Fatso," who is a half a peach on Cheerios. There is also a "Little Man Who Wasn't There," who is a half a banana on Kix cereal, and the orange slice for his hat makes it appear to be a sombrero. Do you suppose he's from Mexico? Anyway....I'm just having fun here! The name is "Old Hobo Joe," at least in my old cookbook, and I loved that cookbook & used the heck out of it, along with my mom! This is a wonderful classic, & if you're looking at this page, you really should buy a copy!!!
Rating:
Summary: I'm thrilled this book is back!
Review: I loved this book when I was a child, and just bought a copy for my own sons. I can hardly be an impartial judge, as every page is is a sweet memory. The book has beautiful photos of creative but simple kitchen creations for kids. Some don't even require cooking, just assembling.
The 50's style has a nice retro appeal for adults, but for my kids the fun is in the simple recipes. They loved the Zoo Cake and Raggedy Ann salad, though they don't know who Raggedy Ann is! Next we'll try Good Kid cookies, an old favorite of mine.
Rating:
Summary: Happy Childhood memories
Review: I received this cookbook from a favorite neighbor in 1962 - and I will give copies to my grandchildren - I have a lot of happy memories of making recipes from this - in fact, I still have my copy - well worn!
Rating:
Summary: Fond Memories
Review: I still have some pages from my original book when I was about 10 years old. I actually purchased an additional copy some years later when it was re-issued. Just viewing the cover brings back much loved memories in the kitchen with my mother helping me bake the cakes, cookies and more. I feel like whipping up some Molasses Crinkles right now! This was the book that taught me how to hard boil an egg! Honest!
Rating:
Summary: A Blast from the Past
Review: I still have the very, very, battered copy of this cookbook that I received back when I was a kid in the sixties. The pages are falling apart but I still use the recipe for gingerbread. I used to love to just read through the recipes and the comment boxes from the "kid testers".
I was really excited when they re-issued this. I have a seven year-old niece who loves to cook and this will be perfect for her.
| 
