Cocoa Bean To Chocolate Nonfiction Selection

Summary:

I read the book Cocoa Bean To Chocolate, by Julie Murray.  This nonfiction book is about chocolate.  Ms. Murray explains to the reader what plant chocolate is from, where the plant is grown, what the farmer has to do to the chocolate before it can be shipped to the factories, and how the chocolate is manufactured.

Evaluation of genre:

I think that this book fits the criteria of a nonfiction book. The information that is in the book explains to the reader the beginnings of chocolate.  This book gives a young reader just enough information to satisfy the curious mind, but it does not overwhelm a young child with too much information.  Ms. Murray gives the reader facts about how chocolate was used for kings, and queens.  Ms. Murray also gives a few facts about the maker of Hershey’s chocolate, Milton Hershey.   The book is full of different photos of chocolate through the various stages of chocolate.  From the cacao plants that grow the pods that hold the cocoa beans, to the tempering process of the chocolate being prepared for packaging.  The pictures fit nicely by the information so that the reader will understand the information the author is conveying.
 

Questions to Ask:

Who likes chocolate?

Before reading the book did you know where chocolate came from?

Have you ever seen the cacao plant?

Have you ever seen cocoa beans?

Do you remember the last time you had something chocolate?

What did you like the least about the book?

What did you like the most about the book?

Activities:

A motivational activity would be to have the children write an once/now essay for chocolate.  They explain what the learned from the book about how the chocolate was once a pod on a cacao tree and explain the process the coco bean has to go through before it becomes a chocolate bar.  Once they get to the chocolate bar part the children can explain in their essay that now they have a chocolate bar because of the cacao plant and cocoa beans.

The children could write a chocolate cookbook.  Recipes such as:

Chocolate Sundaes:

2 Scoops of chocolate ice cream  

Whip cream

Drizzle chocolate syrup

1 cherry (optional)

Directions:

1.     Place ice cream in a bowl.

2.     Add whip cream

3.     Drizzle chocolate

4.     Add cherry

5.     Eat

Dirt Cups

4 Cups Crushed Oreos

2 Cups Chocolate Pudding

1 Cup Whip cream

4 Gummy worms

4 Clear cups (4oz)

Directions:                                                                                                    

 

1.     Place 1 TBS. crushed Oreos in clear cup.

2.     In a large bowl fold in whip cream in chocolate pudding

3.     Place 2 TBS of chocolate pudding mix over crushed Oreos in the clear cups

4.     Repeat steps 1 and 2 once more.  Place one more layer of crushed Oreos on top.

5.     Insert worms in Oreo pudding mixture so that the worms hang out a little.

6.     Refrigerate for one hour.

7.     Eat

Chocolate pudding pops:

1 package of chocolate pudding (any brand will do)

12 paper cups

2 Cups cold milk

12 Popsicle sticks

 

 Directions:

1.     Prepare the pudding as the direction state on the box with the 2 cups of cold milk.

2.     Stir with whisk until the pudding thickens.

3.     Place pudding in the paper cups making sure there is the same amount of pudding in all the cups.

4.     Place Popsicle sticks in the pudding that is in the cups.

5.     Freeze for 3-6 hours.

6.     Take out the freeze and pull off the paper cup.

7.     Eat and Enjoy!

The children could put these recipes in a cookbook (and anymore they could think of) and explain how these recipes would go great with the book Cocoa Bean To Chocolate in an essay. The biggest reason of all would be because it is chocolate of course!

My Thoughts:

Nonfiction books are great especially for younger children because they explain things so simplistically.  This book was not any different.  I love chocolate so when I found this book it was purely for selfish reasons that I decided to check it out from the library.  I think that the book gave the right amount of information for a young reader so that they are not too overloaded with chocolate information.  I could not find much information on Julie Murray.  What I did find is that she has written a lot of nonfiction book from animals to fruit and places to travel.

References

Cullinan, B. & Galda L. & Sipe L. (2010) Literature and the Child. 7^th Ed.

Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Murray, J. (2007) Cocoa Bean to Chocolate. ABDO Publishing. Edina