All in Just One Cookie
Grade 2-4&ndash;When Grandma gets a phone call announcing that visitors are on their way, this hip senior immediately bustles around her homey kitchen to gather up the ingredients for chocolate-chip cookies. While she begins to bake, her pets set out on an informational quest to research the world of ingredients that she adds to her mixing bowl. In a comprehensive culinary tour around the globe, the curious cat and food-obsessed dog discover a variety of interesting, scientific facts about the manufacturing of the different components of the recipe, which is included on the last page of the book. For example, it takes 21 pounds of milk to make a pound of butter and cocoa beans are cream-colored, not brown, and taste bitter, not sweet at all. Each spread is devoted to a single element of the recipe identified at the top of the page in large, colored print. A step-by-step description of the baking process, from Grandma's washing her hands to the cookies' cooling on the counter, is juxtaposed with the findings of the animals' research and their humorous but corny commentary. Although this clever title offers many interesting facts, the slightly cluttered presentation may overwhelm curious young bakers who would be inclined to browse through its pages. Also, the abundance of love that Grandma pours into her baking efforts is diminished because readers do not see her sharing her delicious baked goods with her eagerly anticipated guests.&ndash;Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MACopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.