Popcorn (Charlesbridge) [Paperback]

Elaine Landau (Author), Brian Lies (Author), E. Landau (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Charlesbridge

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Provides a history of one of America's favorite snack foods, presenting its origins, nutritional information, and recipes.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Children will love this enjoyable, oversized compilation of historical facts, legends, trivia, and recipes, featuring the popular snack food. Lies's acrylic cartoons guarantee a good time for all. Students will use this attractive and informative book as both a resource for reports and as a fun read. All that is needed for the ultimate experience is a big bowl of the real stuff, with butter.
Barbara L. McMullin, Casita Center for Technology, Science & Math, Vista, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Respected nonfiction author Landau uses a lighthearted approach in this picture book for older children, which offers popcorn facts and figures and answers questions that children often wonder about, such as, What makes it pop? She presents an interesting history--the snack's Native American origins, the invention of the popping machine, and the popularity of popcorn during World War II, when sugar for other snack foods was in short supply. Lies' brightly colored acrylic illustrations enhance the humor of the text, especially with his use of a pesky raccoon character who insinuates himself into nearly every picture, raiding the refrigerator, roasting corn over an open fire, and stealing the treat from humans. Occasionally, Lies strays a bit over the top (a Pilgrim and Indian share popped corn while watching football on television), but most of the pictures are amusing and accurate. This will be useful for classroom projects and report writers as well as entertaining reading for popcorn munchers, who will appreciate the popping and serving suggestions Landau includes. A list of online and print resources is appended, Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570914435
• ISBN-13: 978-1570914430
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Cooking

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As informative as it is fun for young readers ages 6 to 10, July 26, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Popcorn (Charlesbridge) (Hardcover)

Popcorn is one of America's favorite foods and collectively, we eat as much as 1,124,000 pounds of popcorn every year. Popcorn! by Elaine Landau examines the history, lore, science, and cultural significance of this popular treat which can be traced back to about 5,600 years ago accordingly to an archaeological excavation in New Mexico. Very nicely illustrated by Brian Lies, Popcorn! will prove to be as informative as it is fun for young readers ages 6 to 10.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great gift idea!, January 11, 2007

By 

LeoraKate (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Popcorn (Charlesbridge) (Paperback)

I included this book with a popcorn bucket, flavor sprinkles and kernals as a gift. I think it looked fantastic. I liked that it has recipes, history, as well as fun illustrations to entertain the child it was for. Would be fun to read as it is also.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sing a song of popcorn, July 30, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Popcorn! (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Charlesbridge) (School & Library Binding)

If someone came up and told me that as a punishment for the many sins of my life I was going to be forced to write a non-fiction children's picture book, I'd probably run through the streets screaming with fear. Do you have any concept how hard this must be? Making non-fiction topics palatable to kids is nearly impossible, and it takes real skill to a) Come up with a topics that kids will enjoy and b) Write a book that kids will want to read more than once. Enter Elaine Landau's clever, "Popcorn!". Written with wit, interesting on almost every page, and illustrated with flair, the book is a fine fine addition to any library (public or personal) that needs some honest-to-goodness interesting non-fiction topics to fill the shelves.

First of all, you'd better make certain that the kids reading this book actually like popcorn before you hand it to them. This puppy is one thorough concoction. Effortlessly melding factoids with the history of popcorn, kids learn how this nummy snack became as beloved as it is today. Reading through the text you learn where popcorn is grown, the scientific properties that make it pop in the first place, which residents of Peru were the first to grow, pop, and eat it, and the role popcorn had with the early American Puritans. There are even tips for how to pop popcorn yourself, recipes for making popcorn balls, and a fabulous bibliography of popcorn related websites and books.

The text of this book is witty, bright, and constantly interesting. It's just the reader's good luck, though, that the illustrations are just as fascinating. Now, usually I don't approve of the typical furry-woodland-creature-that-teaches-the-kids-an-important-lesson. In this particular case, the reader follows a cheery raccoon as he leads the viewer through various popcorn-related gags and parcels of information. The raccoon is done so well though that it never appears as an annoying sight gag. In fact, illustrator Brian Lies is so talented that the entire book is a visual joy to flip through. The scientific chart of what happens to popcorn kernels when they're heated is interesting. The map of popcorn raising states is interesting. Heck, even the sight gags work. How many picture books can you honestly say that's the case with? Mighty few, methinks.

All in all, if you've a kid that's been assigned a scientific project but they're not interested in any potential projects, this might be the perfect solution. What kid wouldn't want to study something as tasty and fun as wonderful fluffy tasty popcorn? A great book about an interesting topic. Two thumbs way way up.