The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution

by Lisa Robinson, Stacy Innerst (Illustrator)

Overview

The Sweetest Scoop is a picture book biography of the entrepreneurial activist duo behind Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and their rocky road to success, from author Lisa Robinson and award-winning illustrator Stacy Innerst.

Chunky Monkey. Cherry Garcia. Truffle Kerfuffle.

Legendary ice cream makers Ben & Jerry are behind some of the wackiest, tastiest flavors we know and love. It all began when two groovy guys, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, met when they were 12 years old. Ben liked art, Jerry liked science, and they both loved food . . . especially ice cream!

They started a business together, and with no idea how to actually make ice cream, they made it happen with teamwork, determination, and an appetite for fun and experimentation. When the doors of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade ice cream shop finally opened, crowds flocked. But the pair would still have a rocky road ahead—and ambitious activist goals to fulfill.

Chock-full of facts and humor, this entertaining biography about two hardworking partners living their Americone Dream gives readers plenty to chew on. Through their inventiveness, passion, and activism, Ben & Jerry dreamed of making the world a better, more delicious place—one scoop at a time.

“The Sweetest Scoop is a visual treat!” —Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield, Co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419748035
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	405,889
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lisa Robinson is a child psychiatrist, children’s book author, and ice cream lover (her favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor is Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch). She lives in Massachusetts with her family and three cats, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Paprika—the Spice Cats. Favorite household flavors are Cherry Garcia, Chip Happens, and Justice ReMix’d. Lisa is also the author of several fiction and nonfiction picture books, including Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten!, Pippa’s Night Parade, and Forest Bath Right Down This Path.

Stacy Innerst has illustrated many celebrated books for children in a variety of flavors, including The Book Rescuer by Sue Macy, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award; Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Jonah Winter, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book; and The Music in George’s Head by Suzanne Slade.

Editorial Reviews

The Sweetest Scoop is a visual treat! Kids (and some adults too) will enjoy it for the great illustrations alone, with lots of ice cream, cows and 60s-70s vibe! The story is told in a way that kids can understand, and balances the fun with the social mission of the company. It's a book that parents and grandparents can really enjoy reading to kids as well.”—Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield, Co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s

"Sprinkled with anecdotes, the lively text tells of two men who worked well together, pursuing an entrepreneurial goal with imagination as well as determination. . .This picture book offers an entertaining account of how Ben and Jerry founded Ben and Jerry's." —Booklist

"This upbeat account neatly balances serendipity, determination, and instinctual business acumen, and Innerst deploys the swirly, melty, chunky attributes of her ink and watercolor medium to keep the inviting textures of ice cream on constant display."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"With ample humor and delightful illustrations this lively history of the founding and success of Ben Jerry’s Ice Cream will both entertain young readers and offer lessons in perseverance and determination." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

"This upbeat account neatly balances serendipity, determination, and instinctual business acumen, and Innerst deploys the swirly, melty, chunky attributes of her ink and watercolor medium to keep the inviting textures of ice cream on constant display."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Sweetest Scoop is a visual treat! Kids (and some adults too) will enjoy it for the great illustrations alone, with lots of ice cream, cows and 60s-70s vibe! The story is told in a way that kids can understand, and balances the fun with the social mission of the company. It's a book that parents and grandparents can really enjoy reading to kids as well.

Co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield

"Sprinkled with anecdotes, the lively text tells of two men who worked well together, pursuing an entrepreneurial goal with imagination as well as determination. . .This picture book offers an entertaining account of how Ben and Jerry founded Ben and Jerry's."

Booklist

05/20/2022

K-Gr 3—"How do you make a milkshake? Give a cow a pogo stick." With ample humor and delightful illustrations this lively history of the founding and success of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream will both entertain young readers and offer lessons in perseverance and determination. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield had been friends since middle school when, after a series of personal setbacks, they decided to attempt creating their own business. With little funding but much imagination their small ice cream venture grew into a major success. This title chronicles the story of the ice cream company as well as the social mission the founders considered as a major part of their enterprise. Social and environmental activists, they used both monetary funds and humor to press their causes. With vibrant illustrations in a style that goes with the outsized dreams of the founders, the book consistently hits its stride, and readers will learn about the source of many of the flavor names as well as the unsuccessful ones that wound up in the Flavor Graveyard. VERDICT An entertaining work with a message that big business and doing good can go hand in hand.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken

School Library Journal