Elmo and Telly host this cooking spectacular with help from a genie, a familiar
Sesame Street adult, and two ebullient guest stars, Chef Emeril and Heather
Headley.
After discovering a magic cookbook and releasing a genie, Elmo and the gang
begin their cooking adventure by making every kid’s favorite dish–ice
cream. While Telly is busy cranking the ice-cream maker, the show takes off
with more recipes and fun. Viewers watch as kids, monsters, and even Chef Emeril
put together a number of kid-friendly dishes–from snack foods crafted into
the shape of a dinosaur to pizza with toppings galore! Singer Heather Headley
(known as the Queen of Pockets on Sesame Street) shows Elmo and the audience
how to make a less likely dish in a children’s cooking lineup (summer rolls),
which sets the stage for exploring another important theme of the video–trying
new foods.
Though the story takes up most of the video’s 50 minutes, familiar Sesame
Street skits and songs that extend the theme are interspersed. The subject
of cooking and food gets typical Sesame Street treatment: it is explored
from all sorts of angles, and the video is complete with responsible safety
tips, a gentle nudge to get kids to try out new foods, and some exposure to
international cooking.
Plenty of Sesame Street’s distinct humor can be found in Elmo’s
Magic Cookbook, with talking food–and even a cow–demanding recognition
for their contributions to the meal, and Grover’s fumbling waiter routine
(though in this skit he’s a fumbling pizza delivery monster). The magic
cookbook itself has a mind of its own and even bounds around like a frisky puppy,
and an exhausted Telly reappears from time to time to update viewers on his
progress with the ice cream.
Of course, Elmo’s enthusiasm and inquisitiveness are always refreshing.
Little viewers learn new things along with Elmo, since he asks the kinds of
questions many young kids ask ("What are ingredients?"). Kids
are repeatedly reminded that they need to have an adult present when they cook,
and they are encouraged to wash their hands beforehand. While the genie and
the cookbook use magic to do much of the grunt work associated with cooking,
the message in the end is that kids can cook, too, and they don’t
even need magic. Mind you, parents will likely be the ones doing the gathering
of ingredients and the cleanup! As is the case with cooking shows designed for
adults, the cooking process in Elmo’s Magic Cookbook seems almost
effortless.
Parents will appreciate that the ads are neatly tucked away at the end of the
video. And, as the credits roll, kids are treated to fantastic food masterpieces–all
their favorite Sesame Street monsters sculpted out of food items!
This is an especially engaging Sesame Street video that will tickle
kids’ appetites not only for the yummy recipes presented but for the whole
cooking experience as well. Complete with a dash of inspiration, a dollop of
information, and a huge serving of fun, this video may work a little magic into
many preschoolers’ worlds, spurring them to explore cooking and experimenting
with new foods.
