The Book is about two characters who go outside on a rainy day and create messy mud fun in their outdoor kitchen.

two children who are bored on a rainy day. One of the characters coaxes the other character into going outside in the rain to have FUN and whip up some marvelous muddy culinary creations. Take this journey the characters, outside on a wet rainy day as they mix, blend, stomp, and plate up some of nature's finest (messy) cuisine.

Two characters go outside on a rainy day and make messy muddy culinary creations in thier outdoor kitchen.

Stimulate your child’s senses—right in your own backyard! Steer your little ones away from their screens and into the outdoors with projects designed to spark their insight, dexterity and imagination: Just add mud! With parenting blogger Sophie Pickles’s expert guidance, you’ll transform your backyard into a lively space where your children can experiment with different textures—there’s even a taste-safe alternative!—and understand the wonderful world around them. Using natural ingredients that are on-hand or easily obtainable, you’ll help your kids explore concepts like environmentalism, culinary science, creativity and math, while never losing sight of all the delightful sensory stimulation. Bond over the sheer fun of Shape Play, or try out Muddy River for an introduction to physics. Watch them delight in creating their own food station, with projects like Juice Bar and Mud Café. Better yet, help them build the blocks of critical thinking and observational skills, with activities like Mud Investigation and Mini Beast Hunt. With Mud Kitchen Crafts, education meets fun in a major way.

Learn how to set up a simple and inexpensive children's mud kitchen in a day, allowing your children or grandchildren endless hours of plain and dirty backyard fun. Follow one father's entertaining and informative attempt to get his children outside, offline, and into the mud. Author Jason Runkel Sperling takes us inside his experience creating a backyard mud kitchen for his two small children. Full of humor, parenting insight, and in-depth research, Sperling's account will inspire you to create your own mud kitchen in a day, maximizing family fun, bonding, and creativity.

In the mid-1950s, legendary avant-garde composer John Cage and artist Lois Long created a truly marvelous object. Part artist's book, part cookbook, and part children's book, Mud Book is a spirited, if not satirical, take on almost every child's first attempt at cooking and making. Through the humble mud pie—add dirt and water!—Cage and Long encourage children to explore their imagination and to get their hands dirty, and they offer this warning: "Mud pies are to make and look at, not to eat." A unique hybrid of art book, unconventional cookbook, and inspiration for young makers, this new edition of Mud Book will delight children and parents alike, and makes a charming gift for all ages.