Using cookbooks will help strengthen youngsters' reading and organizational skills. Start with one that has pictures or illustrations, because photos not only entice us to cook but give a sense of where a recipe is going.

Before you start cooking, sit down with your child and read the recipe--or have him read it--all the way through. Do you have everything you need? Check the cupboards and, if necessary, make a shopping list. When you have all the ingredients, show him how to measure everything.

The books listed here are all easy to read, kid-friendly and clear about ingredients, equipment and directions. While most of the recipes are suitable for cooks from first grade through middle school (with, of course, more parental help needed in the younger grades), picture books will be preferred by younger children. But don't give them away when you think they're outgrown: you'll find that even older children will come back to them for ideas and guidance.

PICTURE BOOKS

MY FIRST COOKBOOK by Angela Wilkes (Knopf). A step-by-step picture guide to making fun things to eat. Cooks 4 to 10.

THE CHILDREN'S STEP-BY-STEP COOKBOOK by Angela Wilkes (Dorling Kindersley). Photographic cooking lessons for young chefs. Cooks 4 to 10.

FIRST FOODS MADE FUN, DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY: FUN FOOD FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS by Miriam Stoppard (Dorling Kindersley).A highly picturial book for parents containing recipes that can be done by parents and preschool children. Cooks 2 to adult.

MY FIRST COOKBOOK by Rena Coyle (Workman Publishing). Cooks 6 to 12.

MY FIRST BAKING BOOK by Rena Coyle (Workman Publishing).Cooks 6 to 12.

BETTY CROCKER'S NEW BOYS AND GIRLS COOKBOOK (MacMillan). Cooks 7 to 12.

BETTY CROCKER'S BAKING WITH KIDS (Macmillan).Cooks 7 to 12.

BETTY CROCKER'S COOKING WITH KIDS (Macmillan). Cooks 7 to 12.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS STEP-BY-STEP KIDS' COOKBOOK (Meredith Corp.).Cooks 7 to 12.

PIZZAS PUNK POTATOES and ECLAIRS BROWN BEARS by Arielle Rosin (Ticknor Fields). The format will appeal to younger cooks, but the food history will interest children through middle school. Cooks 6 to 14.

SOME COOKBOOK CLASSICS

COOKING WITH CHILDREN by Marion Cunningham (Alfred A. Knopf). Fifteen lessons for children, age seven and up, who really want to learn to cook. Called today's Fannie Farmer for her work on that cookbook, Cunningham offers real food in her no-nonsense guide for young cooks, starting with basics like soup and salad and ending with chocolate birthday cake and frosting. Cooks 7 to 12.

COOKING WIZARDRY FOR KIDS: LEARN ABOUT FOOD...WHILE MAKING TASTY THINGS TO EAT! by Margaret Kenda and Phyllis S. Williams (Barron's). More than a cookbook, this is a great and fun way for kids to learn about how food works. Lots of kid-friendly recipes and kitchen experiments with scientific, mathematical and cultural background will make it appeal even to high schoolers. Cooks 6 through 16.

FANNY AT CHEZ PANISSE by Alice Waters (HarperCollins). This charming recipe and storybook weaves the adventures of Waters' daughter, Fanny, at her Berkeley, California, restaurant. Sophisticated foods presented in a simple format. Cooks 5 to 12.

PRETEND SOUP AND OTHER REAL RECIPES, A COOKBOOK FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND UP by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson (Tricycle Press). Katzen, author of the popular MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK, offers lots of simple and delicious recipes with tips and hints along the way. Geared to preschoolers and children in early grades: cooks 3 through 9.

THE FANNIE FARMER JUNIOR COOKBOOK by Joan Scobey (Little, Brown). Sensible recipes for kids from 7 to 12.

THAT'S FRESH! SEASONAL RECIPES FOR YOUNG COOKS by Braiden Rex-Johnson and Chef David C. Wasson (Sasquatch Books). A Seattle, Washington, food writer and chef team up to look at food from a seasonal perspective. Cooks 6 through 16.

KITCHEN FUN FOR KIDS by Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., and Laura Hill,R.D. (Henry Holt and Co.). A children's cookbook and nutrition guide from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Cooks 7 to 12.

FAMILY COOKBOOKS

DISNEY'S FAMILY COOKBOOK: IRRESISTIBLE RECIPES FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS by Deanna F. Cook and the Experts at FAMILYFUN magazine (Hyperion). Filled with color photos, this cookbook includes tips, projects and more than 500 simple recipes the whole family can make.Cooks 6 to adult

BEYOND THE MOON COOKBOOK by Ginny Callan (HarperCollins). With beginner and kid-friendly recipes clearly identified, this vegetarian cookbook offers over 250 dishes, from the simple to the more complex. Both parents and children should find it useful. Cooks 7 to adult.

THE KIDS' MULTICULTURAL COOKBOOK, FOOD AND FUN FROM AROUND THE WORLD by Deanna F. Cook (Williamson Kids Can! Book). The senior editor of FAMILYFUN magazine, Cook talked to kids around the world to compile this book of over 75 ethnic recipes. Younger children will like the recipes, and even teens can use the information on other cultures.Cooks 4 through teens.