Welcome back to Colleen’s Cozy Book Corner! Just when you think the holidays are in the rearview mirror, February offers a sweet little wingding of its own: Valentine’s Day. What better way to celebrate this day than with a book about CHOCOLATE? If the thought of such sweet exploration appeals to you, then you have arrived at the Cozy Book Corner at just the right moment. We have a book that will delight your curiosity. Today I’d like to talk about Where Does Chocolate Come From?, a nonfiction text written by Katherine Rawson that provides a fascinating look at how the chocolate we eat becomes the treat we know and love.
If only chocolate grew on trees! Wouldn’t that be wonderful? In a way, it does! In this book, we learn that all chocolate begins with seeds from the cacao tree. These seeds are harvested and dried, and then off to the chocolate factory they go where they will be processed into the sweets we see in the grocery store and candy shop. Alas, a real chocolate factory is not quite as wonky as Roald Dahl would have it, but it’s undeniably a productive and interesting place.
Maybe you prefer dark chocolate, or maybe white chocolate is your thing. Whichever you choose, this book gives readers a whirlwind tour of what it takes to make anything chocolate. That molten lava cake you had for your birthday? Its chocolaty goodness started as a seedpod the size of a football! That fudgy candy you ate too much of on Halloween? Its satisfying flavor is the result of cacao beans being left to dry for a week after harvest and then roasted and then … well, you’ll need to read the book to find out the rest!
I learned a lot reading this book. So teachers, get ready to be impressed with the information found here. And the photographs are so fascinating, you and your kids will not be able to put this book down. You will hear yourself saying wow quite a bit.
There’s something else about this book that is very appealing: its layout. This is not an informational text that bores its reader with an onslaught of tedious paragraphs. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The paragraphs, blocked out on each page so they really pop, are surrounded by photos and paired with fact boxes, which make it easy to digest (pardon the pun!) and remember each main idea. If this is appealing to us grown-ups, imagine how tasteful (did it again!) it will be to children.
Read this book so this year, as you’re savoring that Valentine’s Day nosh, you’ll revel not just in its flavor, but also in the amazing journey it took to reach you.
This book is part of Where Did It Come From? Set 1. Read them all!
