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Bite into a good book with an edible book event

Dee Michel /
Two smiling girls posing in front of two books and a cake decorated to look like the cover of one of the books, ‘Twilight,’ featuring two pale hands holding an apple
Twilight, photo courtesy New Durham Public Library (NH) on Facebook

Go to the library and eat a book! That’s the idea behind edible book events, which blend creativity, community, and culinary fun. The Edible Book Festival is an international event where people use food to create representations of books, either a specific title or a generic ‘book.’ Festivals began in Santa Monica, California in 1999, and events are usually held at the beginning of April to honor French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), who was born on April 1.

Public libraries have hosted Edible Book events in towns as far-flung as Bowdoinham, Maine; Northampton, Massachusetts; Groton, Connecticut; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Kirtland, Ohio; and Kearney, Nebraska.

Making edible books has been a group effort I look forward to each year. The process is challenging and fun and results in lots of giggles, mess and great memories. The books are beautiful, unique and delicious!

— Julie Bartlett

Judges come up with creative award categories, and after the award presentations, everyone gets to eat the entries. If you want to make it a fundraiser, you can charge to attend or to submit an entry. But money doesn’t need to change hands to have a successful Edible Book event. And if your library doesn’t allow food consumption, you can hold the event in a nearby venue.

Each edible book is more surprising and wonderful than the next. Entries are fit for human consumption and demonstrate the maker's interpretation of a book, theme of a story, a specific title or even a generic “book.” Kids often bake and decorate cakes based on their favorite picture books, while adults might go abstract and use more complicated methods of construction.

Table with edible book displays, and people viewing them
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Breakfast in the Rainforest: A Visit with Mountain Gorillas, Northampton, MA. Photo by Nate Jasper
A man and several smiling children viewing edible books displayed on a table
Flags of our Fathers; Go, Dog, Go; and The World Atlas, Northampton, MA. Photo by Nate Jasper

Entries have included a Lord of the Fries made out of French fries; a Catcher in the Rye made out of vegetables, dip and rye bread; a world atlas figure represented by a globe carved from a whole watermelon; a Very Hungry Caterpillar fashioned from cupcakes; Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham made of green eggs and ham; and a fantastical Emerald City from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz made of green ice cream cones, translucent green candy, and yellow Pez-like bricks. While entries usually come from one or two kids or adults, groups from halfway houses and elementary schools have also collaborated to create their amazing edible entries.

Hosting an Edible Book event is a fun, creative way to blend creativity, community, and a shared love for stories. Whether you’re crafting clever interpretations of literary classics or just looking for an excuse to gather with fellow book lovers, this event offers something for everyone. Best of all, it can be adapted to suit your library’s space, budget, and audience. So, why not bring this tasty tradition to your library?

Some create.  Some attend.  Everybody eats!

This article was inspired by Food for thought: Library kitchens and cooking programs. We always love to hear from you. To submit a story or idea from your library, reach out to us at [email protected] or the WebJunction's Facebook page.

Dee Michel headshot

Dee Michel is a retired professor of library and information science and former cataloger. He currently volunteers for Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts, one of the few who shelve nonfiction books using the Cutter Expansive Classification System. Before COVID, he organized Forbes’ Edible Book event. From 1986 to 1988, he was the first male co-chair of the Gay and Lesbian Task Force of the American Library Association (now the Rainbow Round Table). He has given presentations on gay library issues, and created tools used by GLBT community libraries internationally. He has also written Friends of Dorothy: Why Gay Boys and Gay Men Love "The Wizard of Oz" and has given talks about Oz and gay men around the country, including at the Library of Congress and the San Francisco Public Library. His mother, Eve Merriam, was awarded the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1981.  

Learn more about Edible Book Festivals

Are you ready to host your own edible book event? Sample materials (guidelines, registration forms, brochures, posters, press releases, a history of the Edible Book events, photos of lobby display) are available from the Friends of Forbes Library in Northampton. Contact Dee Michel at [email protected].

Library examples

This content was originally published on January 30, 2025.