The Sweetest Scoop

April 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 3 In 1963, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met as 12-year-old boys and became friends who enjoyed biking, camping, and eating pizza together. One summer during their high-school years, Ben drove an ice-cream truck accompanied by Jerry, who sold the frozen treats while telling jokes to the customers. Jobless after college, they brainstormed business ideas and decided to open an ice-cream shop in Burlington, Vermont. After developing their own recipes and trying many potential flavors, they opened their business, which drew crowds. They met challenges with original thinking, fought back against unfair trade practices by a corporate giant, and started a foundation that supports social and environmental justice. Sprinkled with anecdotes, the lively text tells of two men who worked well together, pursuing an entrepreneurial goal with imagination as well as determination. Some of the colorful, expressive illustrations include fanciful drawings of cows sitting at a board table, eating ice cream, and telling kid-friendly jokes in speech balloons. This picture book offers an entertaining account of how Ben and Jerry founded Ben and Jerry's.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 20, 2022

K-Gr 3-"How do you make a milkshake? Give a cow a pogo stick." With ample humor and delightful illustrations this lively history of the founding and success of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream will both entertain young readers and offer lessons in perseverance and determination. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield had been friends since middle school when, after a series of personal setbacks, they decided to attempt creating their own business. With little funding but much imagination their small ice cream venture grew into a major success. This title chronicles the story of the ice cream company as well as the social mission the founders considered as a major part of their enterprise. Social and environmental activists, they used both monetary funds and humor to press their causes. With vibrant illustrations in a style that goes with the outsized dreams of the founders, the book consistently hits its stride, and readers will learn about the source of many of the flavor names as well as the unsuccessful ones that wound up in the Flavor Graveyard. VERDICT An entertaining work with a message that big business and doing good can go hand in hand.-Eva Elisabeth VonAncken

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.