{"id":36821,"date":"2022-07-28T22:12:50","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T02:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36821"},"modified":"2022-07-28T22:12:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T02:12:50","slug":"review-of-the-boy-who-invented-the-popsicle-by-anne-renaud-and-milan-pavlovic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36821","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle, by Anne Renaud and Milan Pavlovic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle<\/p>\n

The Cool Science Behind Frank Epperson\u2019s Famous Frozen Treat<\/em><\/p>\n

by Anne Renaud and Milan Pavlovic<\/p>\n

Kids Can Press, 2019. 40 pages.
\nStarred Review
\nReview written October 23, 2019, from a library book<\/p>\n

This is a picture book biography of Frank Epperson, the inventor of the Popsicle, with a little bit more.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always impressed when children\u2019s nonfiction manages to surprise me. The big surprise in this book is that Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle before household freezers were common. And he first experimented with making them when he was eleven years old, living in San Francisco, during an unusual cold spell.<\/p>\n

The book shows that he was an inventor at heart, making a two-handled handcar when he was a kid. He also experimented with making flavored soda water.<\/p>\n

The book has experiments you can do at home to go with the text. One is making your own lemon-flavored soda water. (Hmm. Is using baking soda what gave soda its name? The book doesn\u2019t say.)<\/p>\n

His first frozen drink on a stick happened when he tried freezing one of these drinks. Later, as an adult, when he saw people eating chocolate-covered ice cream bars, he thought he\u2019d experiment with making more of his frozen drinks on a stick.<\/p>\n

But he needed to freeze them at a cooler temperature than water freezes because of the sugar and flavorings included \u2013 and an experiment helps the reader understand that. And he needed to freeze them quickly, because he didn\u2019t want the flavorings and water to separate \u2013 another experiment helps the reader understand that.<\/p>\n

He came out with his frozen treats \u2013 which he first called the Ep-sicle \u2013 in the early 1920s. This was long before homes were typically stocked with a refrigerator-freezer, so they were mostly sold in stores and at special events.<\/p>\n

This book gives an interesting story of ingenuity, experimentation, and implementation. The experiments give it a little something beyond the typical picture book biography.<\/p>\n

kidscanpress.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

This review is only on the blog.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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