Popcorn Country: The Story of America's Favorite Snack
Chris Peterson; Photographs by David R. Lundquist
Boyds Mill Press, an imprint of Highlights. 2019
Grades 2 and up
How do YOU like your popcorn?
In Popcorn Country, Peterson takes readers on a journey to show how popcorn goes from kernel planted in a field to our pantries. One of America's favorite snack, "Every year we devour four and a half billion gallons of the stuff. That's enough to fill the Empire State Building from top to bottom eighteen times."
Traveling to the Corn Belt, a swath of land from Ohio to Nebraska, we follow the growth cycle of popcorn. Planted in April or early May, the plants will need twenty-five inches of rain to grow. In the fall, once it is ripe, it is harvested by giant mechanical harvesters and taken by truck to processing facilities. Once there, the popcorn kernels are tested for its pop-ability.
The text is enhanced by Lundquist's large, color photographs.
Back matter includes a brief history of popcorn and source notes, both print and websites.
This does not include any conversation on genetically modified (GMO) corn nor comments on factory vs. organic farming.
So. How do you like your popcorn?
Me? I love it popped in olive oil, topped with a little melted butter, salt, and nutritional yeast. Mmm! Mmmm! Lip-smackin' good!
The publisher sent me a copy of this book to review.
What a perfect title for Boyds Mill Press! We buy organic popcorn from Bob's Red Mill. Pop it in organic sunflower oil and just add salt. My son took it to school every day for snacking (and to share) most years of elementary school. Not that he's a freshman in high school, he misses that popcorn, so we often have it in the evening. I think it's a terrific healthy snack, especially after reading that the covering of the kernel is nutritious. Gotta find out more about this book. Thanks for featuring!
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