childrens book

Books to Celebrate Mardi Gras

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Mardi Gras Books

Mardi Gras is quickly approaching.  On February 9, the holiday will be celebrated with King’s cake and parades down in New Orleans.  Here are some Mardi Gras books to read with the family to celebrate!

Non-Fiction Books:

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Mardi Gras in New Orleans:  An Alphabet Book by Karen Jansen
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

This picture book goes through each letter of the alphabet and relates it to the celebration of Mardi Gras.  Each page is accompanied by what appears to be a colorful graffiti-inspired chalk illustration.  The text of this book is a bit busy.  The author uses alliteration for each letter so there are several sentences of text for each letter.  Every word on the page that begins with the featured letter is colored and the sentence from one page sometimes flows into the sentence of the next letter’s page.  Almost all the important concepts of Mardi Gras are touched upon or named in the text, but descriptions of them are not provided.  This book is okay to supplement your Mardi Gras reading, but does not provide enough information to make it a primary reference to learn about the holiday.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

Fiction Books:

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Mimi’s First Mardi Gras by Alice Couvillon and Elizabeth Moore
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In this lengthy picture book (yes, this is not a quick bedtime read!) Mimi goes to her first Mardi Gras.  She eats beignets for breakfast and gets dressed up as a princess before heading out to celebrate Mardi Gras with her parents.  Mimi’s parents explain many of the sights that she sees.  She gets to taste cotton candy for the first time and collects beaded necklaces.  Although this is a fictional picture book, I think it does a nice job of describing a child’s first experience of Mardi Gras.

* We borrowed this book from the library.

On Mardi Gras Day by Fatima Shaik
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

This picture book depicts the Mardi Gras experience  through the eyes of two young children.  From the parades to the food, author Shaik drew upon her own childhood experiences to write this book.

*We borrowed this book from the library.

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Timothy Hubble and the King Cake Party by Anita C. Prieto
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a cute fiction picture book that helps explain New Orleans tradition of King Cake during Mardi Gras.  Timothy Hubble’s family has just moved to New Orleans.  When he receives an invitation to his new friend and neighbor Adam’s king cake party he’s not exactly sure what to expect.  Adam and his twin sister Amanda explain what a king cake is and when and why the parties are held.  The explanation seems to worry Timothy even more…. a baby in the cake?  Girls at the party?  What happens if he doesn’t get the baby?  And what happens if he does and no girl wants to be his queen?!  This book does a good job of explaining the king cake tradition to young children, as well as touching upon worrying too much and making new friends.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

Chinese New Year Books for Kids

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Chinese New Year Books for Kids

Chinese New Year begins on February 8 this year and lasts for fifteen days.  This year is the year of the monkey and is your year if you were born in 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, or 2004.  We enjoy exposing our children to different cultures and experiences.  Last year, our family celebrated Chinese New Year by making a feast together including homemade dumplings, egg rolls, sesame chicken and lo mein.  This year, we will probably celebrate the holiday by ordering some Chinese take-out! We’ve also been reading some books, both fiction and non-fiction, about China and the Chinese new year that we’d thought we’d share with you.  There is still time to get ahold of these books and read them during the celebration of the Chinese New Year!

*All books are linked to goodreads.

Non-Fiction Books:

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Food Around the World:  Food in China by Polly Goodman
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This is  one of four books in the Food Around the World series that Goodman has written.   The book uses photographs with captions and short, simple text to describe the food in China.   Goodman describes what a typical breakfast, lunch and dinner might include.  She describes the different foods grown and eaten in the different regions of China as well as special occasion and festival food.   We learned that in Northern China, a coin is put inside a dumpling and whoever finds the coin is wished good luck for the upcoming year.  We also learned that spring rolls look like gold bars and represent wealth in the new year. Goodman provides interesting food facts throughout the book as well as a glossary in the back. A Chinese soup recipe is included at the end of the book too and Goodman ties the now dated food pyramid to Chinese diets.  This book is a great introductionto the foods of china for younger kids (lower elementary).  The text may still be difficult for some children, but the pictures will help keep their interest.  We read this as a family, with each of us taking turns reading.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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Chelsea’s Chinese New Year by Lisa Bykkard
Illustrated by Katie Saunders
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This picture book is perfect to introduce Chinese New Year to preschool age students.  It follows Chelsea as she and her family prepare for and celebrate Chinese New Year.  This book is classified as non-fiction and has the features of a non-fiction book including a table of contents with four very short chapters, a glossary at the end, a short index and a list of additional resources to learn more about Chinese New  Year. The entire book is illustrated with bright, colorful pictures.  The text is short and written in a story format, with interesting facts presented in purple graphics.   This is a great introduction book for younger readers to Chinese New Year.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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Chinese New Year by Anita Yasuda
Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

This book is part of the AV2 Celebrating American Holidays series. This is great resource for elementary students and classrooms.  The book provides a wealth of resources for the reader about Chinese New Year, beginning with what the holiday is to the history and important symbols and foods.  Each set of pages includes a craft, recipe or activity to supplement the concept introduced.  There’s a little, seven question quiz at the end to see what the reader has learned as well as a glossary of terms that the reader may be unfamiliar with.  As part of the AV2 series, the book doesn’t end with the reading of the book.  A code is included at the beginning of the book which you can enter at the AV2 website.  There you can access videos, weblinks and more activities to supplement the book.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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Chinese New Year: Count and Celebrate! by Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. and Lisa Beringer McKissack
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This picture book is another great resource to use with younger elementary students.  The book counts one through ten and introduces concepts related to Chinese New Year for each number.  Short, but informative text explains each concept in an easy to understand way.  Each number is accompanied by a large, colorful picture.  The book includes a “Words to Know” section at the end as well as additional resources for learning more about the holiday.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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D is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

This is an alphabet picture book about Chinese New Year.  Each letter, from A through Z, is accompanied a word that relates to Chinese New Year, as well as bright, colorful illustrations.  Unfortunately, the book does not go into very much detail about the words and for some of the words, like acrobat and dragon dance, there is no text or definitions to accompany it.  V is for Veneration but no definition is given for the word, except the sentence that “Families venerate their ancestors at New Year’s”  (it means to honor or respect someone, in case you were wondering!).  At the end of the book, the author writes a note and offers some “Tips to Ensure Good Fortune in the New Year.”  The artist also has a note at the end of the book explaining some of the Chinese characters seen in the book. A recipe for New Year’s Dumpling Delight is also provided at the end of the book.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

Fiction Books:

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The Day the Dragon Danced by Kay Haugaard
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Sugar and her Grandma go to the Chinese New Year’s Day Parade to see the dragon.  Sugar enjoys telling her Grandma everything that she’s learned in school about the holiday.  When the dragon finally makes it way down the street, it’s not dancing very well.  When she sees her father’s shoes, she ends up helping him out and saves the dragon dance.  Being told from an African-American perspective this story had great potential, but I felt the story was a little flat.  However, I enjoyed that the diverse community came together to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From the title you can guess that this is a take on the classic story of  Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  In this picture book, it is Chinese New Year and Goldy’s mother asks her to wish her neighbors a happy new year.  Of course, the neighbors aren’t home, but Goldy makes herself comfortable in their apartment.  Instead of porridge, she eats their congee (rice porridge) and she falls asleep on Little Chan’s futon.  References to Chinese food are interspersed throughout the book (bringing turnip cakes to the neighbors, comparing Mr. Chan’s mattress to being as hard as an almond cookie and sitting in Mrs. Chan’s armchair to feeling like stuffing in a pork bun).  This story had a happy ending which differs from the classic.  The author provides a note at the end of the book describing Chinese New Year and also provides a recipe for Turnip Cake.    This was a cute take on a classic story.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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A New Year’s Reunion: A Chinese Story by Yu Li-Qiong
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Maomao’s father works faraway and only comes home for Chinese New Year.  When he arrives the family celebrates the Chinese New Year together, making sticky rice balls, visiting friends and family and watching the dragon dance.  Soon it’s time for Papa to leave again but Maomao sends him with a special gift.  This was a poignant story about a family celebrating Chinese New Year.  This book won the Feng Zikai Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award in 2009 and was also a 2011 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book winner.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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The Year of the Sheep:  Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin
Rating:  3 out of 5 Stars

This is the tenth book in the Chinese Zodiac series.  It tells the story of Sydney the lamb, who was born in the new year.  Zhi, the shepherd girl takes care of Sydney and the rest of the flock of sheep.  But Sydney keeps finding herself in trouble.  After a storm leaves the river dried up, Sydney and her friends help clear the logjam.  While this book touches upon friendship and working together, overall, we thought the story itself was just okay.  The beautiful illustrations by Alina Chau helped give this book a 3 star rating for us.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

 

Lunch Will Never Be The Same

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Lunch Will Never Be The Same (Phoebe G. Green series #1) by Veera Hiranandani
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Phoebe G. Green is a relatively new chapter book series, with this first book published in October of 2014.  Phoebe is a third grader who likes to make lists.  She meets a new girl in her class, Camille, who is from France.  Camille’s father is a pastry chef and Phoebe becomes intrigued with the interesting lunches that Camille brings to school:  beet salad with goat cheese, butter lettuce salad with duck, chickpea salad with red peppers and cilantro and more.  Phoebe’s family eats the same thing every week: spaghetti on Mondays, baked chicken with boxed mashed potatoes on Tuesdays, etc.  Seeing the lunches that Camille brings to school, Phoebe only imagines what dinner at her house must be like.  So, she comes up with a plan to get herself invited to Camille’s for dinner, so she can find out for herself.

This book will introduce your child to all different kinds of food from goat cheese and pakoras (Phoebe’s best friend Sage is Indian and she loves the pakoras that his mom makes) to Beef Bourguignon and Baked Alaska.  This is a book not just about food (though there’s a lot of it mentioned in the book!).  It’s also a tale about friendship and that it’s okay to make new friends and still keep your old friends.  I enjoyed that it was the child in this book trying to get her parents to cook new things, versus the usual parents getting their kids to try new foods.  Both of my kids each read this book on their own and thought it was an okay read.

This book is geared towards readers in early elementary school (grades 1-3) with short chapters and lots of illustrations.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

 

Cora Cooks Pancit

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Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This book was a 2009-2010 Asian Pacific American Literature Award (APALA) Picture Book Winner.  There are not many children’s books out there focused on Filipino heritage and food.  In this picture book, Cora’s older siblings usually help their mother with the cooking of the traditional Filipino dishes.  She’s left with the “kid” jobs like licking the spoons.  But one day, Cora’s brothers and sisters are all out and she is able to help her mother cook.  Cora decides that she wants to make pancit, a popular, Filipino noodle dish.  As Cora and her mother make the pancit, the reader is taken through all the steps in preparing this dish.  Cora is able to help with all of the grown-up jobs like shredding the chicken and stirring the noodles.  The real test for Cora is when her family tries the pancit.  Will they like it?!  Besides all of the food and cooking, this book also touches upon what it’s like to be the youngest in a family and relegated to “kid tasks.”  A glossary is provided in the back with definitions of words like adobo and lumpia  A recipe for pancit is also included. I don’t believe that we have ever eaten Filipino food, but this book has made us interested in trying it!

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Family Armchair Travel: Israel

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As mentioned yesterday, our subscription to International snack box Universal Yums!  sparked the idea of our family to armchair travel to the featured country each month.  May’s snack box featured country was Israel, so off we went!

Prior to receiving the box, I knew that the featured country was Israel.  I printed up a blank flag of Israel found at Coloring Castle and using an online picture I had my son color the flag (see picture above).   We have a children’s atlas and the kids found Israel.

We watched volume 1 of Shalom Sesame: Welcome to Israel.  This is a 12-DVD series that includes episodes on Passover, Purim, Shabbat and more.  My children are almost seven and nine years old.  I figured that this DVD was going to be too babyish for them.  Although Sesame Street characters like Grover and some new characters from Israel are featured, this DVD was surprisingly informative and engaging for even my older children.  Viewers accompany Anneliese as she goes to Israel to visit a relative.  You get to see the sights and food of Israel and meet children from the country.  Hebrew words and numbers are also introduced.  There’s a special appearance by actress Christina Applegate who teaches viewers the different meanings of “Shalom.”  (We borrowed this DVD from the library.)

We read the following books:
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Count Your Way Through Israel by Jim Haskins
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

This book was published in 1990 and has a dated look and feel to it.  There’s an informative introductory note that gives a little background information on Israel and the alphabet and pronunciation of some of the letters.  The book counts from 1 through 10 showing the Hebrew word and pronunciation for each number.  It also connects each number to information about the country.  While the Four Questions is appropriate for number 4, for the number 5 Haskins writes about five agricultural products that Israel is known for.  The book also shows illustrations, whereas I think photographs would be much more engaging.  This book had difficulty holding the interest of my six year-old son.  (We borrowed this book from the library.)

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Exploring Countries: Israel by Joy Gregory
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This book is part of the Exploring Countries series AV2 Media Enhanced Books collection.  There’s a special code in the beginning of the book that when input into the AV2 website makes a variety of additional resources available to the reader.  This is one of the most recently published children’s books about Israel.  It includes information about the land and climate, plants and animals, goods and services and much more.  The supplemental online media includes videos, quizzes and activities.  Each set of pages includes a “By The Numbers” feature, with factual information relating to the particular topic.  For example, under Politics and Government, the “By The Numbers” feature notes that Israeli citizens can vote at the age of 18 and that there are 15 judges on Israel’s Supreme Court.  The book is colorful and includes lots of photographs.  The text on each page is semi-lengthy and the book is geared towards older elementary students.  (We borrowed this book from the library.)

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The Remarkable Journey of Josh’s Kippah by Barbara Elissa
Rating:  2 out of 5 stars

In this picture book, we follow a kippah from Joshua Jacob’s Bar Mitzvah as it travels around the world.  From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur the kippah travels from New York to places like Israel, Argentina and Miami before making its way back to New York.  Unfortunately, we were not big fans of this book.  There were lots of words that many readers may be unfamiliar with.  While there’s a glossary in the back of the book, the number of words that are unfamiliar, and not defined in the story, disrupt the flow of the book.  While many Jewish holidays and special days are identified in the story, there’s little to no description as to what the day is about. This was not a favorite book of ours. (We borrowed this book from the library.)

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Welcome to Israel by Elma Schemenauer
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

This book is part of the Welcome to the World! series from They Child’s World.  This book is a little older, but still very informative.  Again, the amount of info and detail in this book makes it geared toward middle to upper elementary students.  It covers information about the land of Israel as well as its people, food, holidays, school and work.  At the back of the book there’s a list of famous people from Israel as well as a glossary and pronunciation guide for some basic Hebrew words.  This book was informative but did not keep my six year-old son’s interest.  (We borrowed this book from the library.)

To finish up our Armchair Travel we ate some Israel-themed dinners. 

The Weekend Chef’s family is part Jewish, so we celebrate Passover and Hanukkah with them.  Our kids are familiar with latkes, gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, matzo and haroset.  I wanted to make some dishes that were new to us.

I made Fresh Mozzarella, Mushroom and Eggplant Shakshuka from blog May I Have That Recipe?  Although, my shakshuka didn’t come out quite as pretty as theirs!  I served this with some Italian bread which we used to scoop up the sauce and veggies.  I was pleasantly surprised that both kids ate this, eggplant, mushrooms and all.

I made a whole roast chicken in the slow cooker and made Noodle Kugel from the Food Network to go with it.  The kids loved this sweet noodle dish!

The last dish I made was Baked Falafel, adapted from allrecipes.com with a Tomato and Cucumber Salad.  This wasn’t a new dish for us, but I hadn’t made it in a long time.  I love falafel  but the kids aren’t the biggest fans.  They ate theirs mixed with the tomato and cucumber salad inside their pita.  I wanted to have them try it again before we had the falafel-flavored snacks in the Universal Yums! snack box.

We are looking forward to see where we will be traveling next month!  Stay tuned so you can travel along with us!

 

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My Mom Loves Me More Than Sushi

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My Mom Loves Me More Than Sushi by Filomena Gomes
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This picture book is a great way to  introduce children (and adults!) to different foods from around the world.  The little girl who narrates the story tells the reader that her mom loves her more than ____ (a different food around the world).  Each food named (sushi, biscotti, samosas, etc.) has an illustration of what the food looks like and a little, white flag with the name of the country it comes from.  For the most part, the foods are described well enough for the reader to get an idea of what the food is.  A map in the beginning and end of the book illustrates where each of the foods mentioned in the book comes from.  I see this book as being a great starting off point in cooking and trying new foods.  “Remember the biscotti from Italy that the girl and her mom ate?  Why don’t we try some?!”  There were foods mentioned in the book that I was unfamiliar with like canja and megadarra.  This book is illustrated, but could me more interesting and educational if actual photographs of the food were shown as well as flags of the different countries.

*We borrowed this book from the library.

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Taste of Thailand Children’s Book Review

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Taste of Thailand (Secret World Adventure Team (SWAT) series) by Lisa Thompson
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Taste of Thailand is part of the Secret World Adventure Team (SWAT) series.  This is one of seven books in the Read-it! chapter book series published by capstone publishing.  The series has an interest level geared towards children in grades 2-4 and takes them on adventures in different countries throughout the world.

In Taste of Thailand, the reader follows Ben and Lulu as they are transported to Thailand in a mission to help chef Meh Dang prepare a special feast for the queen.  On the way to meeting chef Meh Dang the kids see masked dancers preparing for the party, street food vendors, Thai boxing, takraw and Buddhist temples.  Readers are introduced to all kinds of spices and ingredients used in Thai cooking like chilies, curries and coconut cream, as well as being introduced to foods like durian, curries and fried bananas.  The book includes black and white illustrations as well as photographs to help the reader get a clearer picture of the sites of Thailand.  It’s too bad that the photographs are in black-and-white, since Thailand is so colorful and beautiful.  A glossary is included in the back with definitions of many of the words used throughout the book that readers may be unfamiliar with.   My daughter found the book interesting since she learned about Thailand and “foods that we don’t have like durian and live shrimp that jump out of the bowl.”  Please note that this is the only book in the series that focuses on food.  While this is a short chapter book, I think it does a good job of capturing the essence of Thailand and the food, especially for young children who most likely know very little about this country.  We have read several other books in this series and recommend if your child is interested in learning about other countries and cultures.

*We borrowed this book from the library.

 

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Crepes by Suzette

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Crepes by Suzette
Written and illustrated by Monica Wellington
Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

In this picture book, readers are taken on a whirl-wind journey through the streets of Paris, France, as they accompany Suzette.  Suzette sells all different kinds of crepes from her little cart.  We first go to the market with Suzette where she buys the fruit for her crepes.  We then travel with her to the Luxembourg Gardens, along the River Seine, to the Louvre Museum, the Tuileries Gardens, the Opera, and the Eiffel Tower as she sells her crepes.  This book has so many layers that it takes more than a quick reading to appreciate them all.  First, the pictures in this book are mixed-media collages that consist of actual photographs, memorabilia including stamps and maps, as well as illustrations.   The kids really enjoyed looking at the pictures and all that was going on.  There’s a French phrase on each page with a glossary at the end that tells what the words and phrases mean.  While my high school French finally came in useful, the book unfortunately does not provide a pronunciation guide for those unfamiliar with the language.   The scenes in all the pictures of this book are based on real places in Paris, which are noted in the back of the book.  The illustrations of Suzette’s customers are all based on figures from famous paintings and sculptures by French artists and artists who lived and worked in France.  These include Vincent van Gogh’s “The Postman” Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” as well as Pablo Picasso’s “Three Musicians” among many.  A recipe for crepes is also included if you are interested in trying out these delicious treats!  The author was clever with the title of her book, naming the main character Suzette, one would assume after the famous French dessert Crepes Suzette.   This book really takes the reader on a cultural tour of Paris in a fun and engaging way.  The whole family read this book together and really enjoyed it.

 *This book was borrowed from the library.

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Chocolate Themed Reads for Kids

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While February is National Chocolate Month, there’s never a wrong time to eat…….I mean, read about chocolate!   If you haven’t realized it yet, we are a family of book lovers.  Below are reviews of  chocolate-themed books that we have read, as well as a list of additional chocolate-themed books that we found that may be of interest.   Please share in the comments any other chocolate themed kids books you’ve read!

Beginning Chapter Books:

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Snow Monsters Do Drink Hot Chocolate (The Bailey School Kids series, Jr. Chapter book) by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey
Rating:  2 out of 5 stars

Liza, Howie, Eddie and Melody are sledding and snowboarding when they meet an awesome snowboarder named Harry Snowden.  He’s covered in snow and ice and Howie thinks he’s an abominable snowman.  To warm up, Eddie’s grandmother takes the four kids to get hot chocolate (thus the “chocolate” part of the book) where they see Harry Snowden drinking milk shakes.  When sleigh riding another day, the kids test if Harry is a snow monster by giving him some hot chocolate.  This book has short chapter and a lot of illustrations, which is appealing for beginning chapter book readers.  Overall, this book did not really go anywhere but the kids enjoyed it.

*We own this book.

Chapter Books:

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Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery  (Cam Jansen Mystery series #14) by David A. Adler
Illustrated by Susanna Natti
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Cam Jansen (real name Jennifer Jansen) and her friend Eric are selling chocolate fudge bars and rice cakes as a fundraiser (yes, a weird combination of items to be selling!).  While walking around the neighborhood, they notice a suspicious looking woman and a deserted looking house.  Of course the two end up being connected and with the help of Cam’s photographic memory (thus the “Cam” short for camera) Cam and Eric are able to help the police catch a bank thief.  Cam Jansen is a mystery series geared for younger readers (grades 2-4).  The series is over twenty years old though the covers have gotten an update.  This book had little to actually do with chocolate fudge.  As an adult, it seems unrealistic that two young kids would be able to stop a bank thief.  Nor, would you really want them to attempt to do so, nowadays?!!!

*We own this book.
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The Case of the Kidnapped Candy (A Jigsaw Jones Mystery, #30) by James Preller
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Jigsaw Jones is a mystery series aimed toward readers on a second grade reading level.  This book takes place around Valentine’s Day.  In celebration of the upcoming holiday and the end of their poetry unit, Ms. Gleason has a special surprise for the class.  However, the Hershey Kisses that were in a gumball machine on her desk are stolen.  Jigsaw and his friend Mila attempt to find the thief.  Since the class is studying poetry, the reader is introduced to what goes into writing a poem (sounds, rhythm, ideas, rhyme, etc.), gets to see different examples of poems that some of the students have written, learns what a haiku is, and learns how songs are poetry are related.  So, there’s more to this book than just the mystery.  This series also has short chapters and lots of pictures which are appealing to younger readers.

* We own this book.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

This book is a children’s classic in which Charlie Bucket wins a ticket to spend the day at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory where many adventures occur. We read this as a family at bedtime a couple of years ago, when the kids were about 4 and 6.  While some of it may have been over their heads they enjoyed listening to the story.  We then watched the original movie version together.  We have also seen the updated version of the movie starring Johnny Depp. Since we own the book, the kids are able to reread this book if and when they want.

*We own this book.

The Chocolate-Covered Worms (It’s Robert! series) by Barbara Seuling (also published as Robert and the Chocolate-Covered Worms)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This short chapter book series is geared toward 2nd and 3rd grade readers. In this book, Robert’s teacher makes the class do projects on “The Weird and Horrible” after the class gets fascinated with weird and gross things.  Robert does his report on werewolves, while classmate Lucy does a report on unusual food and brings in a box of chocolate-covered worms for the class to try.

*We own this book.

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Chocolate Dreams  (Candy Fairy Series #1) by Helen Perelman
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

In this first book in the Candy Fairy Series, Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy has been chosen by Princess Lolli to care for the first  spring chocolate eggs that will be used in the Egg Parade.  But after meeting up with some of her candy fairy friends, Cocoa goes back to the nest to find that the eggs are missing.  She has to get them back before the Egg Parade.  With the help of Princess Lolli the two outsmart Mogu, the troll, who stole the eggs.  While I wasn’t impressed with the book, I think young girls will enjoy reading about candy and the different candy fairies.

*We borrowed this book from the library.

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Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is another classic children’s book, first published in 1972.  Henry Green loves chocolate and eats it at all meals.  One day, he starts breaking out in chocolate spots.  Of course no one has seen such a sight before and the doctors at the hospital are fascinated with Henry and diagnose him with “Chocolate Fever.”.  Tired and afraid, Henry escapes the hospital and ends up catching a ride with truck driver Mac. The truck ends up getting hijacked by burglars but Henry and Mac luckily help get the burglars get arrested.   Eventually Alfred Cane, owner of a candy distributing center, helps Henry cure his chocolate fever.  Henry also learns to enjoy other foods without chocolate…..but replaces chocolate with a possible alternative ingredient.  Reading this book I think you can tell that it’s somewhat dated in the language and scenes.  However, I think the story itself has a good lesson.

*We own this book.

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Sweet Secrets in Pennsylvania (Just In Time series book #2) by Cheri Pray Earl and Carol Lynch Williams
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Just In Time series by Cheri Pray Earl and Carol Lynch Williams.   We have not read the first book in the series, The Rescue Begins In Delaware, and this is one of the rare times with children’s books that I felt lost not reading a children’s series in order.   The reader is missing a large chunk of the back story of what happened to the main characters’, twins, George and Gracie, parents.  The parents are currently trapped in time and George and Gracie must return all the items that their parents had bought for the family museum, in order to help their parents get home.  In this book, George and Gracie must use the time machine to travel to Hershey, Pennsylvania in order to return a rug to Milton Hershey.  They must do this while avoiding the evil Mr. Crowe, who is following them and needs their help to get back to his time of 1879.  Unfortunately, if the kids help him, they may not be able to have their parents return.  The chapters are told  through the alternating perspectives of George and Gracie.  George is turned into a rat in this particular story (why?!!!) and in returning the rug they accidently help Milton Hershey come up with the recipe for his milk chocolate.  Although this is the first book in the series that we’ve read, this reminds me of “The Magic Tree House” series for older kids.  In the first book the kids traveled to Delaware and in this book the kids travel to Pennsylvania.  The end of the book is filled with information and facts about the state.  My eight year old daughter read this and found the book “interesting and exciting.”

*This book was borrowed from the library.

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Thea Stilton and the Chocolate Sabotage by Thea Stilton (Thea Stilton series #19)
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This book is the 19th in the Thea Stilton series.  As I mentioned in a Friday Favorites post, my six year-old son is a big fan of this series and the original series Geronimo Stilton.  In this book the Thea Sisters, Nicky, Colette, Violet, Paulina and Pamela travel to Ecuador to visit Paulina’s old school friend Antonio.  He runs a chocolate factory, Cocoa Loco, and invited Paulina and her friends down to visit.  The chocolate factory is in the running to receive the prestigious Chocolate Cup award.  But while the sisters are visiting, it appears that someone is sabotaging Antonio’s factory.  The sisters help Antonio and his cousin Hector find the culprit.  If you are unfamiliar with the Stilton books, I recommend you check a couple out.  Each page of text has words in different colors and fonts.  In this particular book, there were informational pages about the country of Ecuador, the market town of Otavalo and the city of Quito.  Another plus of this book is that children become familiar with organic farming, as Antonio does not use pesticides on his cacao beans.  And did I mention that in these books the characters are mice?!!! Parents may roll their eyes at all of the mouse/cheese/cat humor.  My son enjoys it though and it’s fun seeing him identify the author’s play on words (ex. from another Stilton book that he was reading “Mom, they said paw-cuffs since mice have paws, not hands!).

*This book was borrowed from the library.

Non-Fiction Books:

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No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This picture book gives an in-depth look at how chocolate is made.  Starting with the cocoa beans, the authors show how the survival of the cocoa tree is dependent on all different parts of nature, including monkeys, maggots, fungi, roots and leaves.  The text goes into detail that may not keep the interest of younger readers, however, two little talking worms at the bottom right corner of the pages offer humorous commentary.  Colorful illustrations accompany the text.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

We have compiled a list of other chocolate themed books below.  However, we have not read these books and have listed them for reference only.

Board Books:

Lilly’s Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes.  Lilly tries to find the perfect hiding place for her one chocolate heart.

Picture Books:

Chocolate Moose by Maggie Kneen.  Moose starts working in little mouse’s bakery but makes a big mess. He ends up finding a better job with little mouse instead.

Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey.  George goes on a factory tour to see how chocolates are made but gets into trouble. 

Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells.  Easter-themed book where Max wants to eat the chocolate chicken that has been placed in the well.  His sister Ruby wants him to go on an egg hunt first.

Chapter Books:

Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy (The Chocolate Box Girls series #1).  Set in the United Kingdom, Cherry moves with her dad to Somerset.  He has a dream of inventing artisan chocolate named The Chocolate Box and currently works in a chocolate factory.  The book focuses primarily on Cherry and her struggles with friendship and family. 

Chocolate-Covered Ants by Stephen Manes.  Adam receives ants for his birthday and his older brother Max bets him that people eat chocolate covered ants.  While carrying out the bet, problems occur. 

The Chocolate-Covered Contest by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew series #151).  At an amusement park, Nancy’s friend Bess opens a candy bar with the million dollar prize.  When they go to collect the prize they are told someone has already won and are accused of counterfeiting the wrapper. 

The Chocolate Sundae Mystery by Gertrude Chanlder (The Boxcar Children series #46).  When ice cream and other items start disappearing from the ice cream parlor, the Boxcar Children investigate.

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling.   A twist on the tale King Midas and the Golden Touch, John Midas loves chocolate so much that he is thrilled when he gets the ability to turn everything he touches into chocolate.  He realizes this may be more of a curse when he accidentally turns his mother into chocolate.

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders. Twins Oz and Lily move into the family inherited Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop magical adventures await them. 

Non-Fiction Books:

DK Readers:  The Story of Chocolate by C.J. Polin.  (beginning reader – Level 3)  Facts and information about chocolate with photographs and a glossary. 

Totally Triffic Chocolate by Alan MacDonald. (chapter book)  Chapter book filled with everything you wanted to know about chocolate. 

Have you read any of these books?  Or do you have more chocolate themed books for us to add to our list?

The Most Disgusting Foods On The Planet

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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The Most Disgusting Foods On The Planet by John Perritano
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

With the not-so-new anymore Common Core Standards, there is a big push for students to be reading more non-fiction books.  For the reluctant reader, I think just the title of this book will help interest them.  This book is part of the Capstone Press “Disgusting Stuff” series.  Other titles in the series include The Most Disgusting Animals, Jobs and Places on the Planet.

The book begins with the author noting that different cultures have different food practices.  Some foods that we may think are gross may be considered delicious to them.  This book has six chapter that include topics such as bugs, soups, drinks and even disgusting desserts.  While the book is thin it is not a beginning reader book as the text is small.  It is aimed towards 3rd and 4th grade readers, but will interest both younger and older readers.  Each page is accompanied by real photographs.  More difficult words are defined on the page and there are occasional facts and additional information boxes provided throughout.  Chicken butts, cow urine cola and poo coffee will surely be of interest to some readers!  Maybe even have your child read this to you.  Even I learned some new things from this book.

*This book was borrowed from the library. 

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