In looking at cookbooks for kids, one is tempted to borrow a turn of phrase from the late, great Fred Rogers, host of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." That is, "Can you say 'junk?'"

Cutesy, simpleminded and patronizing, most children's cookbooks rely way too heavily on prepared foods, sugar, cheese and silly presentations (shape your pancakes like teddy bears!).

Current nutritional research - and common sense - makes it clear that children deserve better. Plagued by the same obesity-related ills that haunt adults - Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, damage to self-esteem - and arguably more vulnerable to the multibillion-dollar junk-food campaigns aimed at them, children need help in learning about food and food choices. Getting kids involved in cooking has the added bonus of making them more likely to try new foods; we need all the help we can get to fight the tyranny of picky eaters.

Summer is a good time to get kids cooking. First, they may be a little less "booked up" than they are during the school year, and, if you're lucky, you have a bit more time to help them. Second, summer cooking involves all the things kids love: outdoor fires (the grill), pointy sticks (kabob skewers) and cool fresh fruits and vegetables like berries, melons, edible-pod peas and corn on the cob. If your kids spend time with an adult baby-sitter this summer, consider including "make dinner" on the to-do list once a week. (Remember that children need supervision in the kitchen.)

One new book, "C Is for Cooking" from Sesame Street (Wiley Books, 2007), gets my vote for featuring plenty of main course and vegetable dishes, and for relying heavily on fruit for the dessert section. This is for the under-5 set, but I bet older siblings would use it, too. "My A to Z Recipe Box" by Hilary Shevlin Karmilowicz (Chronicle Books, 2007) is an actual recipe box with illustrated recipes inside and plenty of blank cards for kids to fill in themselves. The food - with a few exceptions - seems a bit predictable and on the heavy side (mac and cheese, pancakes, cookies), but the presentation is cheerful and has the added possibility of getting kids psyched about starting their own recipe collections. The final recipe in this bunch is from my favorite cookbook of last year's vintage, "Kids Cook 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold (Bloomsbury, 2006), which even adults could learn from.

ROSITA'S TORTILLA SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

8 ounces turkey breast or pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 (14-1/2-ounce) cans chicken broth

1 (16-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels or 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 ripe avocado

2 cups tortilla chips

Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder, cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the turkey breast (or pork) and cook, stirring often, until opaque (white but not clear), about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken broth and stewed tomatoes with juices, using a wooden spoon to chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the corn, simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, halve, peel and seed the avocado. Kids can use a plastic knife to cut the avocado into small cubes.

Crush the tortilla chips. Kids can do this by placing the chips in a plastic food-storage bag. Close the bag and tap it gently with the palm of the hand.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with avocado and crushed chips.

Yield: about 8 cups, or 6 to 8 servings

Recipe from "C Is for Cooking" with Susan McQuillan (Wiley Books, 2007)

ELMO'S LITTLE TREES & SUNSHINE

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup water

2 navel oranges or 1 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned and seeded

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic. Cook, stirring, until coated with oil. Add the water. Cover the skillet and cook until the broccoli is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger.

Gently stir in the orange sections and soy sauce. Cover and cook until the fruit is heated through, about 1 minute. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe from "C Is for Cooking," with Susan McQuillan (Wiley Books, 2007)

LOVELY LEMON HUMMUS

2 large garlic cloves

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 pieces whole-wheat pita bread

In a food processor, blend the garlic cloves, chickpeas and yogurt until smooth. Occasionally, stop the food processor and scrape the sides of the bowl with the spatula. Use the spatula to scrape the hummus into the small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, cumin and salt.

Cut the pita bread into wedges, and serve the hummus with the pita wedges for dipping.

Yield: 6 servings

VERY GOOD MEATBALLS

1 bunch scallions

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper

Rinse the scallions. Cut off the root ends and the dark green parts and discard. Finely chop enough of the white and light parts to get 1/4 cup. If there are any scallions left over, save them for another use.

Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the chopped scallions, 2 tablespoons of the teriyaki sauce, the salt and some pepper. Using clean hands, combine the ingredients thoroughly. Form into 24 meatballs that are about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Heat a large nonstick skillet (a 12-inch pan works well) until hot. Add the meatballs and cook over high heat for several minutes, rolling them around so they brown and become a little crispy on all sides, about 10 minutes. Slice one and make sure it is not pink in the middle. If it is, cook some more, testing again. Using a slotted spoon, place the meatballs on a platter and sprinkle with the remaining teriyaki sauce.

Yield: 24 meatballs

ANTS IN MY APPLESAUCE

9 apples, washed

1 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

Stem, peel and core the apples, then cut them into chunks. Put the chunks in a pot and stir in the water, brown sugar and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. Mash the apples with the potato masher. Mix in the raisins. Serve warm or cold.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Recipe from "Kids Cook 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold (Bloomsbury, 2006)

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.

Learned on the street - Sesame Street, that is - is this recipe for a savory, filling tortilla soup with avocado. Photo credit: Photograph by Ben Fink for "C Is for Cooking," with Susan McQuillan (Wiley Books, 2007)