Cocoa Ice
Kindergarten-Grade 3?A marvelously rich and appealing picture book that satisfies on many levels. Appelbaum tells the stories of two 19th-century girls from faraway lands whose lives are subtly linked and irrevocably changed through their families' occupations. The book opens on the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo where it is always summer and where cacao trees thrive. The young narrator explains how her family harvests, dries, and roasts cocoa beans, which her father then trades on high-rigged schooners from New England for bolts of cloth and the valued commodity?ice. The scene then changes to Maine where a child of the far north describes her family's ice-harvesting operation and export business. Meade's vibrant cut-paper and gouache illustrations capture the action, industry, and natural beauty of each locale. Filled with fascinating, child-centered details and engaging artwork, this wonderful book is a look at the work-intensive past that also conveys the unequaled joy of savoring the fruits of one's labors.?Luann Toth, School Library JournalCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.