The University of Cincinnati Libraries celebrated the International Edible Books Festival on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
This year, we had an impressive 24 entries from students, librarians and staff, along with family, friends and retirees. There are few restrictions in creating an edible book – namely that the creation be edible and have something to do with a book. Today’s entries covered all genres – from fiction to non-fiction, animals, food, classics, contemporary titles and more.
Popular books represented on screen and now as edible books were “Dune,” “Bridgerton,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and “Twilight.” Children’s books made for popular edible books. This year we had “Charlotte’s Web,” “Freckle Juice,” “Too Many Carrots,” “Black Hearts in Buttersea,” and “Matilda.” Young Adult books made a presence this year with “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Harry Potter.”
Animals were a theme this year with “Penguin Island,” “Dragons Love Tacos” and “How to Eat Fried Worms.” Both fiction, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” “Grapes of Wrath,” “The Silver Bone” and “White Teeth,” and non-fiction, “Eyes on the Prize,” “An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits,” and “How Infrastructure Works: Inside Systems that Shape our World” were represented. Along with the 18th-century classic “De montibus, silvis, fontibus”
In addition to promoting the reading of books, we also use this event to promote and “judge” the creativity of our colleagues and friends in creating edible books. Thank you to the two esteemed judges: Brian Gray, associate dean for collections (non-edible collections), and Usha (oo-sh-uh), student staff member in the CECH Library. And the winners are…
- Melissa Cox Norris – Penguin Island – Most Adorable
- Sam Norris – Too Many Carrots – Most Noteworthy
- Carly Fledderjohann – The Cheese Touch (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) – Most Noteworthy
- Deborah Weinstein – Charlotte’s Web – Most Imaginative
- Stephen Norris – The Silver Bone – Most Outrageous
- Avery Rice – Pride and Prejudice – Most Checked Out
- Melissa Cox Norris – Difficult Women – Most Out of this World
- Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy – How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World – Most Creative
- Luahna Winningham Carter – Freckle Juice – Most Gruesome
- Jakob Elliott – Dune – Silliest
- Jessica Ebert – Black Hearts in Battersea (“buttercream”) – Most Delicious
- Josh Zack, Tim Zack, and Debbie Tenofsky – Eyes on the Prize – Most Frightening
- Nainika Kovelamudi & Priyanka Rao Siripurapu – Bridgerton – Most Beautiful
- Olya Hart – White Teeth – Most Wordly
- Olya Hart – Bunnies on Ice – Most Whimsical
- Jenny Mackiewicz – Matilda – Most Taboo
- Jenny Mackiewicz – Twilight – Most Humorous
- Holly Prochaska – How to eat fried worms – Most Clever
- Yu Mao – Atomic Habits – An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – Most Literary
- Alex Temple – De montibus, silvis, fontibus – Most Technical
- Suzanne Bratt – The Warmth of Other Suns – Most Timely
- Lisa Haitz – The Grapes of Wrath – Most Fun
- Clara Kelley – Harry potter sorting hat – Best Student Entry
- Lexi Davis – Dragons Love Tacos – Best Overall
Congratulations to all the edible books creators! View the entries and the winners on the UC Libraries Facebook Page. See you next year for Edible Books 2026!
As in previous years, entries will be judged according to such categories as “Most Delicious,” “Most Creative,” “Most Checked Out” and “Most Literary.” Those awarded “Best Student Entry” and “Best Overall” will win UC swag.