Helping students recognize the sense of taste can be a fun adventure. From taste testing apples to baking cookies, most students become very engaged when there are snacks included! Here are some of the sweetest books for learning about the sense of taste.
Sense of Taste Books
Mmm, Cookies! by Robert Munsch
When the main character finds some play clay in the basement, he makes his family some delicious looking cookies. Too bad they taste just terrible! It’s a good thing his teacher has a plan to help! With amazingly descriptive sound words, this book works great for both the sense of taste AND the sense of sound!
Extending the Learning: Set up a play-doh station so students can make their own cookies. Remind them not to eat them though! Frosting and decorating pre-made sugar cookies is a great treat that goes along with this story as well!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Every preschool teacher’s favorite caterpillar is a great book to tie into the sense of taste. The little caterpillar tries an assortment of fruits, plus an entire picnic worth of food before finding the right treat for him.
Extending the Learning: To tie in the sense of taste, have a Caterpillar Cafe with all the different foods mentioned in the book. Discuss how each food tastes, and chart who likes each food! (Please substitute lettuce or a salad green instead of tree leaves, though!)
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
This sweet book is about two sisters and the apple tree in their yard. It describes each part of the apple’s growth, and ends with the best possible result – apple pie!
Extending the Learning: Try using PTL’s apple cinnamon scented playdough for a center, or even make your own easy individual apple pies!
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
That wacky bus-loving pigeon is distraught to find out that the duckling gets a cookie – but where is one for Pigeon? Another great book from the same author – The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog – is a great partner for this! Both books are engaging and use some great words to describe feelings and the taste of the foods.
Extending the Learning: Set up a cookie shop in the dramatic play center!
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
Laura Numeroff has a whole series of books (including one about giving a mouse a cookie) but this one is best for discussing the sense of taste…because you can extend the learning by making pancakes with lots of syrup, just like in the book!
Extending the Learning: Set up a pancake cafe in the dramatic play center!
Here are some more sweet ideas for Sense of Taste books!
- Tasting Things by Allan Fowler
- Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat
- Too Pickley by Jean Reidy
- Tony Baroni Loves Macaroni by Marilyn Sadler
- The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
- Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
- Taste (the Five Senses Series) by Maria Rius
- Tasting by Rebecca Rissman
- Yoko by Rosemary Wells
Looking for more books to read about the Five Senses? Try these:
