Ice Cream Cones For Sale! [Hardcover]

Elaine Greenstein (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Can an ice cream controversy be red hot? You bet! Here's a colorful picture book that playfully presents the great debate over who invented the ice cream cone. A perfect summer treat.

Who invented the ice cream cone? Ernst Hamwi, a wafflemaker at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, claimed it was his idea. But Arnold Fornachou said his cones inspired Ernst's! David Avayou reported that he brought the cone back from Paris. And Charles Menches announced that his sweetheart created the dessert. Only one man holds the patent for the first cone-making machine, though, and his claims top them all...
In this picture book, Elaine Greenstein shows young readers that history is made by ordinary dreamers -- and it can be just as cool and delicious as a fresh cold ice cream cone.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Greenstein's search for the official originator of the ice-cream cone starts with the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair where ice-cream vendors rubbed elbows with waffle bakers and five individuals claimed credit for the invention. The real creator, however, was Italo Marchiony, who patented a cone mold in 1903. Details are unknown so the author provides a story, stressing, "this is still the made-up part," and encourages readers to speculate along with her. Illustrations, monoprints overpainted with soft-toned gouache, are sketchy and quaint, leaning lightly on ethnic stereotypes for identification purposes (a Turkish citizen wearing a fez, a Frenchman wearing a beret). Each recto bears a full-page illustration, with smaller artwork breaking up text on the verso. In what may be the book's only shortcoming, some terms lack explanation, for example, "hootchy-cootchy dancers" and "U.S. patent office." Ice Cream Cones concludes with suggestions on how to eat this treat, research notes, and a substantial bibliography.
Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Here's a fine example of a picture book with a Dewey classification number that clearly distinguishes between fact and fiction. The ice-cream cone has many fathers (and one mother). Beginning at the St. Louis World's Fair, where there were 50 ice-cream vendors and more than a few waffle makers, Greenstein introduces all the contenders for the cone title and briefly tells their stories. First there's the man who ran out of dishes and asked a waffle maker in a neighboring stall to provide eatable ice-cream holders. The waffle maker claimed the idea as his own. Another fellow said his girlfriend inspired his wrapper. Then there's the man, from Italy, who made a cone and patented it! Greenstein admits that she doesn't know exactly how Mr. Italio came up with that idea, but she offers a dreamy speculation--clearly stamped with such warnings as "Remember, this is still the made-up part." This looks and sounds just right for the age group. The monoprints overpainted with gouache feature appealing close-ups, bright colors, and lots of ice cream. The author's note adds extra information, and an impressive bibliography leads kids on to more facts. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; 1 edition (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439327288
• ISBN-13: 978-0439327282
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ice Cream Cone Synchronicity!, April 12, 2004

By 

Jessica Ferguson "threelittlebirds" (Woodbury, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Cream Cones For Sale! (Hardcover)

Half of what makes a picture book wonderful is, of course the pictures, and there are lots of books out there that can stand alone on illustrations. Ice-Cream Cones For Sale! can certainly rely on its beautiful, nostalgic monoprints but doesn't have to - it also tells the great and mysterious tale of the invention of the ice cream cone and the St. Louis World's Fair.

Greenstein's author's note is a great insight into how fun, exciting, and unpredictable history can be as she details some of the twists and turns of her own research.

A great book for reading and enjoying but also a great book to use for the start of a historical research project, to introduce the concept of synchronicity, and to inspire budding young inventors.

3.0 out of 5 stars Who came up with the ice cream cone?, July 16, 2008

By 

T. B. Guinan (Wichita Falls, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Cream Cones For Sale! (Hardcover)

The author of this book puts her research of the ice cream cone into an interesting, kid-friendly format. I love the way the author discriminates for the reader the difference in the facts and the fiction. That is what makes this book different! She begins with her researched facts, and then in the middle of the story, when her info becomes lacking, she writes "this is what I imagine" and further still, speaking directly to the reader, "Remember, this is still the made-up part." When the facts become clear again, she writes, "This last part is true..."

This book would be a great way to inspire kids to research topics of interest. It would be a great example of a topic in which not all of the data is out there- sometimes an investigator must piece together the puzzle. For teachers, I would use this book with elementary grades 3-5. (Teaching objectives: fact v. fiction, text structure.) It is way too factual for younger kids.