From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate (Start to Finish, Second Series) Paperback – Illustrated, August 1, 2012

I was so excited to read this book because it was exactly whatI wanted. It has beautiful, large pictures/photos of each step ofthe process of chocolate coordinated with simple sentencesdescribing the process in each picture. I loved the shiny andsmooth feeling of the pages. Great book for young children. I plan onusing it teach the concept of mindful eating.

Love this series for how to or procedural reading/writing.

This is very, very very basic. For little kids who are not to curious about the the chocolate making process

Some kids just love chocolate, but how many know how it is made? If you take a look at the picture of some very unusual trees you'll see some large reddish colored pods growing on the outside. Inside these posed "are seeds called cocoa beans." After several months the pods are cut off from the trees and cut open. You can see several white beans inside the pod. Each one holds "twenty to fifty cocoa beans." After the cocoa beans are removed from the pods "they are left in the sun to dry for many days" and then are placed into sacks.Once the sacks are filled they are loaded into a railroad car to be taken to a chocolate factory. At the factory the "beans are cleaned" and then roasted. The reason they are roasted is because it is "easier to take shells off [the] beans." In a photograph in this book you can see a man working in front of several huge copper pots where the beans are being roasted. You'll also learn about the machines that mash the beans, what happens when they are mashed, what is added to the chocolate, you'll see it "poured into molds," and will learn what happens until it is wrapped.This is a fascinating look at the manufacture of chocolate from the pod to the final product. This is a simple beginning introduction to nonfiction for the young student. This book can be read by the confident reader or read and discussed during circle or storytime. The layout is alive with vivid photographs, visuals that are almost self-explanatory. There is a brief sentence explaining the concept in the paragraph beneath. For example, when discussing what happens when the beans are removed from the pods the sentence says "The sun dries the beans." This is one of six titles in the "Start to Finish" series about food for the beginning nonfiction reader. In the back of the book is an index and a glossary. There are additional complimentary downloadable resources on the publisher's website.Start to Finish (Food)From Cocoa Bean to ChocolateFrom Grass to MilkFrom Maple Tree to SyrupFrom Milk to Ice CreamFrom Peanut to Peanut ButterFrom Wheat to Bread

This book really should be called "From Cocoa Bean to MILK Chocolate" It describes the process of making chocolate but states that "milk and sugar are added to the cocoa butter to make chocolate". This is completely inaccurate as milk is really just an optional ingredient along with nuts, dried fruit, etc. This aside, I thought that the book was very thorough and a good length.

A silly, worthless book without interest or merit.

Has your child ever asked you the question of where chocolate comes from? My kids are full of questions and this book is a great way to answer one of those questions. My second grader was able to read this book with great ease (he's autistic). My 3 year old was amazed at where chocolate came from. The photos are wonderful compliments to the story. There is a table of contents, glossary and index included in the book. This is a great addition to a social studies lesson about Central and South America or food processing. Worth reading at home or in the classroom.

Thought this was going to be academic but it is pamphlet length with a couple of sentences pew page. Total waste.