Do you know how chocolate is made? It is made by monkeys. No, really! Melissa Stewart and Allen Young say so in
No Monkeys, No Chocolate.
Let me explain about how this book shows you that. There are three parts of the book: The first is the basic story about how cocoa beans become chocolate. The second part is a paragraph underneath it is simple sentence going into more detail about that creature or plants role in creating cocoa trees/cocoa beans. Finally, the third part are two worms (off to the side/hiding in plain sight) that make jokes, puns and summarize what you are reading. They also have a little story going on as well. You see how the tree needs “This Thing” to grow and create their pods. One such thing is the monkey. Since the cocoa pod does not open on its own, the monkey must open it, eat part of it and drop the seeds to create more trees. But every little thing plays a role in the creating of chocolate. Literally if even the smallest creature/element/part of the process does not play its part, the entire operation is stopped.
Nicole Wong created sweet and simple, but far from simplistic, illustrations. The colors are maybe not as bright as you would expect but they represent the jungle, the plants, the animals. Facts you may or may not know about fill each page making the story of that yummy treat come to life
This is a book to grow with therefore it is good for most ages. It could be a solo read but would work in a small group setting. It would work in the classroom if you are studying animals of the jungle, agriculture or want to tie it in with a cooking project (you are making something with chocolate).
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