Please visit the host of this weekly nonfiction book event: Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy
by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young
Illustrated by Nicole Wong
Charlesbridge Publishing
2013
32 Pages
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Disclosure: Obtained from public library
Goodreads Summary
Most kids love chocolate, but few of them know that its main ingredient, the cocoa bean, comes from a tree that grows in the tropical rain forest. Dual-layer text describes the life cycle of the tree, emphasizing its botanical structures and highlighting the interdependence of the plants and animals such as the pollen-sucking midge, brain-eating coffin fly and aphid-munching anole lizard. Two wise-cracking bookworms offer commentary and humor in this fascinating depiction of microhabitat survival.
My Thoughts
One thing I love about nonfiction picture books is the fact that they can convey information in an understandable and relatable way. With just the right amount of text and big, detailed pictures, kids will enjoy this book and learn a ton. The two "bookworms" are lots of fun. Kids will also appreciate the small amount of "grossness" that is included such as the brain-eating flies. The information at the end of the book and the "What you can do to help" section offer more valuable information.
Use this book......
in a unit on ecology or animals.
as a mentor text for writing a "without this, then that" type of informational writing.
to model cause/effect.
to model think alouds for informational text.
Resources
How chocolate is made video
