The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate!: Ready-to-Read Level 3

by Stephen Krensky, Rob McClurkan (Illustrator)

Overview

Warm up with the enticing history of hot chocolate in this fact-tastic nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a series about the history of fun stuff!

History of Fun Stuff: The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate was named a 2015 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People!

Did you know that for thousands of years, chocolate was a beverage and not a solid candy? Or that soldiers in the Revolutionary War received a monthly ration of chocolate for drinking? Learn all about the history of America’s favorite wintertime treat in this fun, fact-filled Level 3 Ready-to-Read!

A special section at the back of the book includes relevant info on subjects like social studies and science, and there’s even a fun quiz so you can test yourself to see what you’ve learned!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481420532
Publisher:	Simon Spotlight
Publication date:	10/28/2014
Series:	History of Fun Stuff Series
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	988,772
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	NC940L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stephen Krensky is the author of more than a hundred books for children, including How Santa Got His Job (an ALA Notable Book) and Big Bad Wolves at School. He and his wife, Joan, live in Lexington, Massachusetts. You can visit him at StephenKrensky.com.

Rob McClurkan is an illustrator and author whose imagination is fueled by a healthy dose of Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday funnies. He lives with his family just outside Atlanta, Georgia. To see more of Rob’s work, visit SeeRobDraw.com.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Who doesn't enjoy warming up with a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day? Kids will relish learning the history of their favorite wintertime drink in this beginning reader. The opening chapter presents questions that the text will soon answer, giving children a chance to anticipate what will come next. Four chapters cover the history of chocolate, starting with the Olmec people of Central America. Colonization of the New World is briefly mentioned: "The British conquered the Caribbean island of Jamaica….That meant the British had their own source of necessary ingredients." The book may exaggerate chocolate's role in major Western historical events, but an image of a smiling cartoon George Washington and Thomas Jefferson sharing monogrammed mugs together makes for a fun image. Examples of how people in countries around the world take their hot chocolate today brings the topic back to the present (the page on the history of marshmallows is an excellent touch). Back matter includes interesting forays into rainforest ecology, various globalized crops from the Americas, and economics. The multiple choice quiz offers readers a chance to practice recalling and reinforcing names and dates. VERDICT Though the text is on the complex side for novice readers, this is a sweet choice that kids and families can cozy up with on a chilly day.—Jennifer Wolf, Beaverton City Library, OR

School Library Journal

** History of Fun Stuff: The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate was named a 2015 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People **

From the Publisher