Children love parties - they are such eager and enthusiastic guests. And they learn to be good hosts and hostesses, too, when you let them help you plan parties for their friends. Successful parties require careful thought and planning in advance. Here's your guide.

This faithful reproduction of Betty Crocker's Party Book will be a treat for anyone who lived through the 1960s--or wished they had! Packed with practical advice, classic recipes, color photographs, and whimsical illustrations, it reveals secrets of great parties back in the era of Leave It to Beaver, most of which are still applicable today. Readers will find detailed plans for more than 30 different parties, including themed birthday celebrations (such as a Space-Age Adventure Party and Cinderella Party), holiday get-togethers (for Christmas, Halloween, and more), and wedding-related events (like a Bridal Shower and an Anniversary Party). The accompanying recipes--including Blueberry Coffee Cake, Pineapple Chicken, Brownie S'Mores, and Easter Bunny Cake--are as tasty today as they were back in the sixties. Complete with craft ideas (such as how to make a gilded fruit centerpiece) and entertaining advice ("What Makes a Hostess Famous?"), this facsimile edition is a charming snapshot of life in a more innocent era--and a perfect gift.

IN 1945, FORTUNE MAGAZINE named Betty Crocker the second most popular American woman, right behind Eleanor Roosevelt, and dubbed Betty America's First Lady of Food. Not bad for a gal who never actually existed. "Born" in 1921 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to proud corporate parents, Betty Crocker has grown, over eight decades, into one of the most successful branding campaigns the world has ever known. Now, at long last, she has her own biography. Finding Betty Crocker draws on six years of research plus an unprecedented look into the General Mills archives to reveal how a fictitious spokesperson was enthusiastically welcomed into kitchens and shopping carts across the nation. The Washburn Crosby Company (one of the forerunners to General Mills) chose the cheery all-American "Betty" as a first name and paired it with Crocker, after William Crocker, a well-loved company director. Betty was to be the newest member of the Home Service Department, where she would be a "friend" to consumers in search of advice on baking -- and, in an unexpected twist, their personal lives. Soon Betty Crocker had her own national radio show, which, during the Great Depression and World War II, broadcast money-saving recipes, rationing tips, and messages of hope. Over 700,000 women joined Betty's wartime Home Legion program, while more than one million women -- and men -- registered for the Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air during its twenty-seven-year run. At the height of Betty Crocker's popularity in the 1940s, she received as many as four to five thousand letters daily, care of General Mills. When her first full-scale cookbook, Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, or "Big Red," as it is affectionately known, was released in 1950, first-year sales rivaled those of the Bible. Today, over two hundred products bear her name, along with thousands of recipe booklets and cookbooks, an interactive website, and a newspaper column. What is it about Betty? In answering the question of why everyone was buying what she was selling, author Susan Marks offers an entertaining, charming, and utterly unique look -- through words and images -- at an American icon situated between profound symbolism and classic kitchen kitsch.

Whether starting from scratch with the basics of measuring and kitchen safety or creating a meal for the family, Betty Crocker Kids Cook is both teacher and creative outlet. Betty Crocker has been helping kids in the kitchen since 1957 with the publication of Betty Crocker’s Boys and Girls Cookbook. Betty CrockerKids Cook provides the same blend of teaching and creativity, helping today’s kids learn to cook and have fun at the same time. The book has 66 I-want-to-make-that recipes, plus engaging illustrations and photos of each recipe that blend whimsy and practicality. The book covers Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner and Desserts as well as kitchen essentials, including cooking safety and nutrition basics. This is the book that will teach kids to feel comfortable in the kitchen, whether assembling a healthy snack like Strawberry-Orange Smoothies or whipping up a dinner of Impossibly Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies with Fresh Fruit Frozen Yogurt Pops for dessert.

Includes over 1,000 recipes with complete nutrition information, food history, special helps, time-saving recipes and ideas, and charts of yields and equivalents.

A spooktacular and delicious collection of Halloween recipes When it comes to fun food, nothing beats Halloween. From scary treats (Boneyard Dirt Pops) to frightening main dishes (Spiderweb Black Bean Burgers) to blood-curdling beverages (Chilling Jack-o'-Lantern Smoothies), this must-have collection of Halloween recipes will keep kids and adults well fed and fully entertained too! Includes almost 100 recipes with a full-color photo of every one Offers bonus features on setting up a Halloween buffet, fun ways to reuse Halloween candy and recipes perfect for gift-giving Includes helpful cooking tips and techniques throughout Features full nutrition information for every recipe If you're looking for fun this Halloween season, fear not. Betty Crocker Halloween Cookbook is the terrifying good time you've been waiting for.

Celebrate Betty Crocker's 100th birthday with more than 100 of her best recipes Betty Crocker is 100! To celebrate a century of helping American home cooks get food on the table, Betty Crocker is sharing 100 of her best recipes that have fed and nourished every generation since 1921. Each recipe in this heirloom book is a cherished favorite that's easy to make and difficult to fail, and each includes a note for a closer look at the American icon. With a full range of recipes, from breads and hearty casseroles to decadent cakes and sweets, Betty's Best 100 is sure to be as treasured in your kitchen as Betty Crocker is.