Victoria Grace Elliott

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-8

Plot Summary:
Three sprites tell the story of each of the following desserts through the use of storytime, TV guest stars, and narration.
Ice Cream
Cake
Brownies
Donuts
Pies
Gummies
Cookies
Macarons

Setting: covers every part of the world

Characters:
3 sprites tell the story: one narrator, one storyteller, and one who appears as a variety of guests on a TV interview show

Recurring Themes: history, social studies, trading, movement of goods and services, food, class, rich vs. poor

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: Although written as a graphic novel, this book could be slow because of the lack of action, the difficult vocabulary, and the amount of background information that needs to be shared to understand the history of dessert. Overall, it was done well, but I think this book is for junior high.

Genre: non-fiction graphic novel

Pacing: slow, even though it's a graphic novel, lots of advanced vocabulary, and some spreads had more text than many other graphic novels
Characters: lots of historical figures
Frame: lots of historical information shared to understand the history
Storyline:

Activity: Use certain chapters to help explain certain social studies concepts such as trading, movement of goods and services, and class.… (mer)

“The desserts we enjoy aren’t ‘silver linings’ to the brutal horrors of slavery and colonization. Rather, to appreciate desserts in all their forms, we need to acknowledge the real history and people behind them.”

Very cute and informative! Managed to be engaging and I love that the book is internationally-minded with a focus of desserts from all over the world. I also think it was stellar idea to include the dessert history, little skits, science, and recipes in the same book to keep everything engaging.

If you're curious, my favorite sweets are pound cake, especially lemony ones, sweet potato pie, cheesecake, custard, and soft chocolate chip cookies. c:… (mer)