Ice Cream
Spring days merge quickly into hot summer afternoons that require a variety of methods to stay cool. One of my family’s favorite treats is the pleasure of cold, smooth, delicious ice cream eaten on a shady porch on a sultry summer day. Ice cream has it origins in recipes that combined mild products, ice, sometimes a starch, and often a variety of fruits or flavorings. Take a look at the review of Gail Gibbon’s book, Ice Cream: The Full Scoop, in the listings below for some of the background history of ice cream.
This feature celebrates May 30th as the 160th anniversary of the patent of the hand-cranked ice cream freezer. Prior to that time, making ice cream was a much more laborious undertaking than many people were willing to face; it required balancing one bowl inside of another larger bowl (to hold the ice) and a long time of hand beating that did not result in a very firm product. In 1846, a woman named Nancy Johnson devised a canister that fitted inside a larger wooden cask and could be "cranked” to churn the ingredients inside the canister while at the same time rotating the canister nestled in its layer of ice and salt (contained by the outer cask). Unfortunately, Ms Johnson did not procure a patent on her invention and it was a Mr. Young who patented the "Johnson Patent Ice Cream Freezer” in 1848.
Today’s ice cream freezers still look and operate much like the original one, but may be made with more sophisticated materials like stainless steel and plastics. One can also buy electric ones to save having to "crank” by hand. Needless to say, a huge variety of ice cream is available commercially, but there is something to be said for enjoying the efforts of one’s own labor—especially when it is cold, creamy ice cream. Read about and enjoy ice cream all summer or anytime of the year.
Contributor: Sheilah Egan
Reviews
The Big Scoop
Dorian Cirrone
Illustrated by Liza Woodruff
A local reporter, Lindy Blues, with her own Network for News will definitely bring in today’s middle reader. With the use of today’s technology--such as instant messaging, e-mail, video cameras, and computers--the writer manages to keep current yet stay true to the reader’s age range. The soft cover, small size, and large text keep the book accessible and will invite the young reader. Black-and-white pencil illustrations are simple and fun. Lindy and her friend (and cameraman) Joshua set out to cover the most exciting story of their lives, the missing ice cream shop. With many twists and turns, Lindy and her family and friends all contribute clues, which eventually lead to the final cracking of the case of the Missing Scoop shop! This book is a fun and enjoyable mystery for young readers. 2006, Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, $14.99. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Vanessa Richardson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7614-5323-7
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5323-9
Food Friends
Cece Bell
Some things just naturally go together and the focus here is foods--peanut butter and jelly, cookies and milk, mashed potatoes and gravy. The book opens with cake hosting a party and all of his favorite friends. The last one to arrive is ice cream, and then the party is complete. It is an interesting idea and offers an opportunity for parents and caregivers to play a game asking and presenting more of these food friends. 2006, Candlewick, $5.99. Ages 2 to 5. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7636-2777-1
ISBN: 978-0-7636-2777-5
From Milk to Ice Cream
Kristin Thoennes Keller
Consultant, H. Douglas Goff
A "First Facts" book in the "From Farm to Table" series, this book appeals to a wide reading audience with fresh information, clear harvest and production processes explanations, and well chosen photographs. From cow to cone, the process of making ice cream is explained beginning with a mechanical milker on a large dairy farm. Text details the making of the mix, heating to kill bacteria, the addition of flavors and other items, although a very unappetizing picture of some shiny dark gunk at a Ben & Jerry's is not identified which would have been appropriate. Oreos, perhaps? Blackberries? Or is someone cleaning out the machines? A complicated machine is shown molding ice ream and adding some sort of topping but the text only mentions the molds. The text ends with a picture of ice cream in a grocery store but only two local brands are shown; a fact that George Washington spent nearly $200 on ice cream one summer; and a recipe for making ice cream in a bag without having to use a crank freezer is included. There is also a glossary, index, and a hosted website. Supplement this with Elaine Greenstein's Ice Cream Cones for Sale (HarperCollins, 2003), a great companion as it details the invention of the ice cream cone in 1904 that this text began with. 2005, Capstone Press, $21.26. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Susan Hepler, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7368-2635-1
ISBN: 978-0-7368-2635-8
The Good Humor Man
Kathleen N. Daly
Pictures by Tibor Gergely
Originally published in 1964, this charming picture book tells the story of the Good Humor man as he makes his daily rounds selling ice cream. Children and parents run out to the street when they see the Good Humor man’s white truck driving into the neighborhood. All the neighborhood, including the dogs, line up to see what treats the Good Humor man has for them that day, and then he drives back to the peppermint gates of Fun Valley where ice cream is made and all the little white trucks live. There is not much in terms of plot in this picture book, but the Good Humor Man does manage to help Johnny Slow-Poke reunite with his lost puppy and help lonely Dick Griggs find a friend to play with. The illustrations will charm young readers and older readers alike with their gentle depictions of a suburban neighborhood in the early 60s--fathers dressed in sweater vest and pipe or mowing their lawn with their push mower, mothers wrapped in aprons and handkerchiefs around their hair. 2005 (orig. 1964), Random House, $8.99. Ages 3 to 6. (This reissue may not be easy to find, but it is worth the trip down nostalgia lane for those who remember the "Ice Cream Man” and his truck (I never saw a woman driver but there may have been some out there somewhere.)). Reviewer: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (Children's Literature)
ISBN: 0-375-83280-7
ISBN: 978-0-375-83280-2
Ice Cream
Elisha Cooper
Ever wonder how ice cream gets from "moo to you?" Elisha Cooper did. So he went and found out, and this book is the result. Readers will be amazed as to the extensive process milk goes through to become the delectable treat we all know and love as ice cream. I certainly underestimated the process. From the farm where the cow lives, to the farmer that expresses her milk, to the long road the milk then travels from the milk co-op to the ice creamery, it is quite a process. Not only is the milk made into ice cream, it is also, as you would assume, made into table milk, cream and condensed milk. It then gets loaded into the appropriate truck. All three types of milk go into the making of ice cream. Once the milk makes it to the ice creamery, other trucks arrive loaded with toppings, containers, and other ingredients needed to pull it all together. Once the pre-printed cartons are rolled and folded, and after the ice cream is processed through the ice cream machine, these two shall meet. But not before the computer program tells the machine to dump in the various milks, creams, sugars, vanilla or chocolate. Then the whole concoction is frozen into ice cream before it gets dumped into the hopper where all the goodies are added--chocolate chunks, marshmallows, you name it. This is where ice cream and container finally join and are shipped out to grocery stores for ice cream lovers everywhere to enjoy. Older children will enjoy learning how this process works, however, youngsters will find it hard to stay attentive as the cute, abstract illustrations are not enough to fully engage their constantly busy little minds. 2002, Greenwillow Books, $15.95. Ages 4 to 10. Reviewer: Emily Cook (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-06-001423-7
ISBN: 0-06-001424-5
ISBN: 978-0-06-001423-0
ISBN: 978-0-06-001424-7
Ice Cream: The Full Scoop
Gail Gibbons
I always thought my mother invented "snow cream" (clean snow with sweetened flavored milk drizzled over it)--the author has (yet again) given us the definitive explanation of the cold, sweet treat called ice cream. Some people believe that the Chinese mixed snow, milk, and rice together as long as 3,000 years ago (not my mom!). In this worthy addition to the body of explanatory literature, readers are greeted, on the very first page, with a scene of people enjoying various forms of ice cream in a brightly colored ice cream parlor. This scene prepares them to learn about the entire history of ice cream, its developmental stages (recipe and processing changes), and the cultural influences that have shaped today's frozen delights. Gibbons takes us from cow (with her usual clear explanatory pictures) to the ice cream factory, from the grocery store to people eating their favorite kinds of ice cream. Along the way insets remind us of various facts: credit for the pasteurization process goes to Louis Pasteur; the three common container sizes (pint, quart, half gallon) for ice cream; and explanations of various words, such as "vendor" which means "someone who sells something." The word comes into play as she describes the invention of the ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, when an ice cream vendor ran out of paper cups for holding scoops of ice cream. A near-by waffle seller offered some of his waffles to create cones to hold the scoops. Lots of information about ice cream is included and visually depicted--so much so as to create the need for a quick trip to the local market! Did you know that vanilla is still the favorite flavor followed by chocolate? Sunday is still the favorite day for purchasing ice cream--the spelling of Ice Cream Sundae was changed from the original "Sunday" when people began eating them on other days of the week. Have you consumed the American average of 15 quarts this year? If not, grab a spoon for a scoop, a bar, a cone, or a straw for an ice cream soda! 2006, Holiday House, $16.95. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-8234-2000-0
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2000-1
Ice Cream Treats: The Inside Scoop
Paul Fleisher
Photographs by David O. Saunders.
"I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream!" Even if you are not a fan of this ever so popular dessert, you will find this nonfiction book about it absolutely delicious! This is the story of ice cream, from its origination in the 1500s to its current place in industry. Readers will learn, step-by-step, the process of making ice cream as well as the multi-faceted aspects of its distribution. The color photographs on every page depict the step-by-step process, making the reader feel as though he or she has experienced a field trip to the ice cream factory without ever leaving home. This is an excellent book for all ages. It is a natural reference when discussing American industry, process writing or nonfiction text. This book will even leave you screaming for more. Part of the "Carolrhoda Photo Book" series. 2001, Carolrhoda Books, $23.93. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Andrea Sears Andrews (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-5750-5268-7
ISBN: 978-1-5750-5268-7
Ice-cream Cones for Sale!
Elaine Greenstein
In April 1904, the World's Fair was held in St. Louis, Missouri. With over fifty ice cream vendors present and plenty of waffle makers, the two were bound to come together. The question is, who did it first? Elaine Greenstein walks through the possible beginnings of the ice cream cone, playfully combining historical fact with a bit of whimsical speculation on her part. Greenstein's lighthearted illustrations, full of milky, pastel colors, work well in downplaying the tension between the different inventors' claims. In the end, she reveals the true inventor of the ice cream cone (he even has a patent), making this book a very appetizing history lesson for children and adults alike. 2003, Arthur A Levine Books/Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Jared Reck (Children's Literature).
When an ice cream seller at the 1904 World's Fair ran out of dishes, he turned to the waffle-maker next to him and borrowed some waffles. He rolled the waffle into a cone and scooped the ice cream inside and--voila --the world's first ice cream cone appeared in St. Louis, Missouri. Or so they say.... Thus begins a delightful history/mystery picture book that brings readers along on a ride to find out who really made the first ice cream cone. A fun read-aloud any time of year, but particularly when ice cream is on the mind. Engaging period illustrations give readers added details about the era and the wonder of something as simple and delicious as an ice cream cone. 2003, Arthur A Levine Books/Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 4 up. Reviewer: Linda Johns (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-439-32728-8
ISBN: 0-439-32729-6
ISBN: 978-0-439-32728-2
ISBN: 978-0-439-32729-9
Ice-cream Larry
Daniel Pinkwater
Illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
Larry the polar bear is back and getting into his usual constructive mischief. This time he takes a nap in the local ice cream store's freezer and manages to consume one-eighth of a ton of ice cream before being discovered. How he parlays his comment, "I do not feel sick," into international celebrity is the meat of Pinkwater's droll tale. Jill Pinkwater's cheerfully bright and bold illustrations nicely match her husband's tongue-in-cheek (or should it be tongue-on-cone?) story. 1999, Marshall Cavendish, $15.95. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7614-5043-2
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5043-6
Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow
Martha Freeman
Illustrated by Steven Salerno
When Mrs. Wow finds a cow, she tries to shoo her away. The cow will not leave. Meow the cat is supposed to catch mice, but she prefers to sleep. Bow-Wow the dog is supposed to guard the house, but he wants to eat all day. When Bow-Wow and Meow see the cow, they decide to teach her to do their chores. But the cow will not learn to catch mice and guard the house. They decide the cow is useless--until Mrs. Wow tells them a cow could only eat grass and give milk. Mrs. Wow decides to let the cow eat the grass to save her from having to cut the grass. Then, Mrs. Wow milks the cow and makes ice cream. Bow-Wow and Meow love ice cream so they are happy to have the cow and so is Mrs. Wow. The illustrations are terrific and the story is humorous. Most beginning readers will want to read this amusing story over and over while enjoying the colorful illustrations. 2006, Beginner Books/A Division of Random House, $8.99. Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Jennie DeGenaro (Children's Literature).
This "Random House Beginner Book” (the same series as the Dr. Seuss books) offers up simple, graphic-like, textural painted illustrations that convey action in motion and an easy-to-read, engaging storyline. Mrs. Wow’s pet cat, Meow, and dog, Bow-Wow, are lovable, lazy pets who are confounded by the uselessness of the cow who comes to live on their farm, but they eventually appreciate the true purpose of a cow. The homophonic words will feel good rolling off kids’ tongues, although the varied pronunciations of words that look alike may occasionally trip them up. 2006, Random House Books for Young Readers, $8.99 Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Ginjer L. Clarke (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-375-83418-4
ISBN: 0-375-93418-9
ISBN: 0-375-83419-2
ISBN: 978-0-375-83418-9
ISBN: 978-0-375-93418-6
ISBN: 978-0-375-83419-6
Ocean Plants
Pamela Dell
Seaweed in your ice cream? Underwater grassy meadows operating like busy cities? Farmers planting crops of seaweed in the Indian Ocean? Welcome to the wettest part of our world. Oceans cover much of our planet, and the plants that live there deal daily with the effects of salt, currents, sunlight, and pollution. Whether tiny, drifting phytoplankton or stationary red Nori seaweed, ocean plants provide food and shelter for a variety of creatures from crabs to eels to fish. People use plants like seaweed in everything from soap to paint to ice cream. Garbage and fertilizers are people-generated threats to ocean environments. Author Dell features ocean plants called dinoflagellates, which can make the nighttime ocean sparkle "like diamonds.” If you are looking for a way to introduce young readers to biomes, you’ve found it. Each book in this series defines the biome, talks about native plants, discusses how the plants are used by both animals and humans, explains the dangers to these plants and protections for them, and showcases one plant. Two-page spreads consist of a photo page and a text page. Text is simple, clear, and brief. Twenty-four pages include a table of contents, a glossary, references (including FactHound), and an index. Other titles in the "Life in the World’s Biomes” series include, Desert Plants, Polar Plants, Prairie Plants, Rain Forest Plants, and Wetland Plants. 2006, Bridgestone Books/Capstone Press, $21.26. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Chris Gill (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7368-4322-1
ISBN: 978-0-7368-4322-5
Out and About at the Dairy Farm
Andy Murphy
Illustrated by Anne McMullen
Kids love field trips but they are not always possible or practical. This book offers a colorfully illustrated alternative, beginning with a list of "things to find out" that helps to focus readers before the fictional field trip begins. This tour of the Red Oak Dairy Farm begins with an introduction to the Holstein cows themselves. From here the reader is shown the important places found on the farm including the meadow where the cows graze, the field where some of their food is grown, the calf barn where new calves are cared for and the milking barn where the machine-assisted milking takes place. In the milking barn, each part of the milking process is explained simply. Written for the pre-K to first grade audience, this is a very simple introduction to what a student might expect to experience on an actual field trip. The only negative aspect to this otherwise well-written book is the addition of information in italic type on every two-page spread. The information, while relevant, could have just as easily been incorporated into the main body of text and therefore been less distracting to young readers. Adding to the overall usefulness of this book is a related activity (making "udderly" easy ice cream), a Learn More list, including books and Web sites, Fun Facts, an index and a Words to Know list. This is part of the "Out and About" series. 2003, Picture Window Books, $16.95. Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Trina Heidt (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-4048-0038-7
ISBN: 978-1-4048-0038-0
Summer
Alice Low
Illustrated by Roy McKie
In a rhyming text Low relates all the joys that summer brings such as sunny days with good things to eat like watermelon and cold ice cream cones. It is also a time to have fun outside--playing in the yard, swinging, catching butterflies, enjoying a water fight, swimming, and even spending a day at the beach. During the summer, we celebrate the 4th of July, and on that night the sky is lit up with beautiful fireworks. Today’s kids are in for a real treat when they see how much fun you can have without TV, I-pods, and the like. It really is a refreshing look at the kind of days that I remember as a child. It is all amusingly illustrated by Roy McKie. Part of the "Bright and Early Board Books” series. 2007 (orig. 1963), Random House, $4.99. Ages 2 to 4. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-37583870-5
ISBN: 0-375-83870-8
Temperature
Rebecca Olien
Consultant, Philip W. Hammer
Studies indicate that all subjects can be taught at any level, in a developmentally appropriate way. The physics concepts explored in the series "Our Physical World" are a good example. As young children in the early elementary years are broadening their world, these concepts are linked to familiar aspects of home and school. In Temperature, the basic characteristics of temperature are explored with vivid color photographs: a child eating an ice cream cone; a camper stirring hot soup; the hand of a lunch lady holding a thermometer in a tray of food. Fun Facts boxes add interest to the layout, while a final "Amazing but True" page is just the kind of information children love. A hands-on experiment in freezing is set out very scientifically, but ends up with a juice pop for enjoyment. With table of contents, simple glossary, index, and Internet site for parents to look into, the book is a very nice introduction to scientific inquiry and our physical world. This book is part of the "First Facts" series. 2005, Capstone Press, $21.26. Ages 6 to 8. Reviewer: Nancy Partridge (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7368-2619-X
ISBN: 978-0-7368-2619-8
Wemberly's Ice-cream Star
Kevin Henkes
A new book by Kevin Henkes is always a treat and Wemberly's Ice Cream Star does not disappoint. In this board book spin-off featuring popular Henkes characters like Sheila Rae and Owen, it is Wemberly's turn to step into the limelight. One hot day Wemberly is given an ice cream star. Ever the worrier, she is afraid it will drip on her dress. Then she realizes her stuffed rabbit Petal doesn't have any. She waits patiently for the ice cream to melt into two bowls. They both eat ice cream soup: "And neither of them spilled a drop." In a postscript, Wemberly generously offers to "help" Petal finish hers. Non-pareil striped end-papers and sherbet pastels contribute to the confectionery theme. The story is short and sweet, but never saccharine. The text is printed on rainbow backgrounds while the illustrations are grounded on white. Henkes' has the rare ability to tap into the simple, pure essence of childhood. His saucer-eared mice deal with problems toddlers can relate to. His solutions are believable. Children ages one to three will eat up this book like dessert. Grown-ups will want a big spoonful, too. 2003, Greenwillow/HarperFestival, $6.95. Ages 1 to 3. Reviewer: Candice Ransom (Children's Literature).
Wemberly, the heroine of Wemberly Worried, continues to worry in this brief board book. Given the ice-cream star on a stick, she worries that it will drip on her new dress. She is also concerned that there is none for her stuffed bunny Petal. So she takes two bowls, two spoons, and two napkins, and waits patiently through several double pages, until they both can enjoy ice cream soup without spilling a drop. Henkes creates a sketchy little anthropomorphic girl/mouse who can involve our emotions with just a gesture. With a minimum of detail and background, he tells the visual story completely. Who can resist smiling at the appealing Wemberly, as she assures Petal that she will "help finish yours?" 2003, Greenwillow/ HarperFestival/ HarperCollins Publishers, $6.99. Ages 2 to 5. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-06-050405-6
ISBN: 978-0-06-050405-2
White Food Fun
Lisa Bullar
To interest youngsters needing encouragement in their reading skills, each book in the "A+, Eat Your Colors” series combines bright photographs of appealing children and colorful food with short, snappy text. The chapters are brief and the vocabulary controlled. Each book contains a note to parents, teachers, and librarians, as well as a glossary, sources for further information, and an easy recipe so kids can enjoy a little kitchen fun. White foods? Kids may have to think about that for a few minutes to get beyond the obvious such as mashed potatoes, milk, and vanilla ice cream. Other white foods are egg whites, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and of course marshmallows. The recipe for a "South Pole Sundae” calls for white topping on vanilla ice cream with a red cherry taking the place of a red flag planted upon a pile of snow. The book’s format will work well to interest kids, thereby encouraging them to think about colors and their own favorite foods, which may lead to a discussion of a subject about which they have strong feelings and valid opinions 2006, Capstone Press, $23.93. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7368-5384-2
ISBN: 0-7368-5384-7
Added 04/29/08
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