Eat Your U.S. History Homework

Recipes for Revolutionary Minds

Illustrated by Leeza Hernandez
Look inside
Hardcover
$15.95 US
| $17.95 CAN
On sale Oct 13, 2015 | 48 Pages | 9781570919237
Age 7-10 years | Grades 2-5
Reading Level: Lexile 950L | Fountas & Pinnell T
Examine the birth of America through a delicious lens: FOOD! This history-themed recipe book is third in a scrumptious series and proves that cooking never gets old.

This collection of unique recipes will fill you up with lip-smacking history facts that reveal what cuisine was like for people between the 1600s to the 1800s, during the birth of America. Budding chefs will devour time-period inspired recipes for healthy entrees and snacks, as well as desserts, including Thanksgiving Succotash, Revolutionary Honey-Jumble Cookies, Colonial Cherry-Berry Grunts, and more. History buffs will appreciate the diverse experiences represented, from the Native Americans and the pilgrims, to slaves and plantation owners.


"...some tasty ways for kids to connect with the history curriculum."
-Booklist
Ah-choo! Oh, no, a sneezing attack! It happens every time you open your dusty, old history textbook. That is, if you stay awake long enough to sneezzzzzz. . . . But wait, history doesn’t need to be deadly dull. In fact, it is anything but boring when you munch and crunch your way through it. Get set for a guaranteed way to turn sneezy into easy and drowsy into delicious. Get ready to eat your history homework!
            This is a book about making edible connections to American history. Each section shares a quick bite of America from 1620 to 1789, highlighting events—and food—from the arrival of the Pilgrims to George Washington becoming the first president. The recipes are based on original descriptions or on what historians believe early colonists were eating at the time. Of course, before Europeans settled in what we now call North America, the “new” world was old news to millions of Native Americans who had called this land home for thousands of years. As cultures collided, people learned to survive by sharing ideas—and food.
            Any way you slice it, learning about the past has never been so tasty!
After encouraging kids to eat their math and science homework (2011 and 2014), McCallum and Hernandez this time pair six recipes to the history of America from 1620 to 1789.

The historical highlights include the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, Plymouth, and the first Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving Succotash); life in the original 13 Colonies (Colonial Cherry-Berry Grunt); the French and Indian War (Lost Bread); slavery (Southern Plantation Hoe Cakes); the Boston Tea Party and the increasing enmity toward England (Revolutionary Honey-Jumble Cookies); and the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War (Independence Ice Cream). Each period is summarized in a single page of general background. The recipe follows on a double-page spread, and then a further double-page spread gives more (and more specific) information. An introduction includes a timeline of the entire period and some cooking tips ("Please ask an adult to assist you, especially when things are sharp or hot"), which include pointing out that the recipes have been modernized. The book ends with a brief review of each period, glossary, and index. The cutesy cartoon artwork visually represents some aspect(s) of the learning and goes nicely with some of the corny puns the author adds in. The recipes themselves include pretty basic ingredients, and the steps are easy to follow…provided readers know what to do when it says to "beat," "whip," etc.

Social studies teachers aren't likely to assign these for homework, but some could easily be made in class to finish off Colonial studies.
-Kirkus Reviews


Similar to McCallum and Hernandez's Eat Your Math Homework (2011), this colorful book offers recipes for six dishes related to American history and uses them as focal points for information on particular topics: succotash (the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving); cherry-berry grunt (the 13 original American colonies); lost bread, or pain perdu (the Revolutionary War and George Washington). Sidebars bring up related topics and ask readers to consider questions such as which foods in the reader's refrigerator "would not have been available to the Pilgrims." As in the earlier books, Hernandez contributes upbeat illustrations with dressed-rabbit characters. Modernizing the Thanksgiving Succotash with chunks of hot dogs seems counterproductive, and most kids young enough to enjoy the illustrations will need adult help to prepare the dishes, as McCallum advises in the "Kitchen Tips" section. Still, for parents, teachers, and students looking for hands-on experiences, here are some tasty ways for kids to connect with the history curriculum.
-Booklist
Ann McCallum is the author of several books, including the upcoming Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds. She is currently a high school teacher in Maryland, though she started her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in northern Canada. She also taught English composition in the United Arab Emirates for five years. Ann enjoys reading, traveling, and walking through leaves, and hopes, one day, to climb a beanstalk.

Leeza Hernandez is an illustrator and graphic designer whose art has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and books, including Bored Bella Learns About Fiction and Nonfiction. She is the recipient of the Tomie dePaola Portfolio award from the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.

About

Examine the birth of America through a delicious lens: FOOD! This history-themed recipe book is third in a scrumptious series and proves that cooking never gets old.

This collection of unique recipes will fill you up with lip-smacking history facts that reveal what cuisine was like for people between the 1600s to the 1800s, during the birth of America. Budding chefs will devour time-period inspired recipes for healthy entrees and snacks, as well as desserts, including Thanksgiving Succotash, Revolutionary Honey-Jumble Cookies, Colonial Cherry-Berry Grunts, and more. History buffs will appreciate the diverse experiences represented, from the Native Americans and the pilgrims, to slaves and plantation owners.


"...some tasty ways for kids to connect with the history curriculum."
-Booklist

Excerpt

Ah-choo! Oh, no, a sneezing attack! It happens every time you open your dusty, old history textbook. That is, if you stay awake long enough to sneezzzzzz. . . . But wait, history doesn’t need to be deadly dull. In fact, it is anything but boring when you munch and crunch your way through it. Get set for a guaranteed way to turn sneezy into easy and drowsy into delicious. Get ready to eat your history homework!
            This is a book about making edible connections to American history. Each section shares a quick bite of America from 1620 to 1789, highlighting events—and food—from the arrival of the Pilgrims to George Washington becoming the first president. The recipes are based on original descriptions or on what historians believe early colonists were eating at the time. Of course, before Europeans settled in what we now call North America, the “new” world was old news to millions of Native Americans who had called this land home for thousands of years. As cultures collided, people learned to survive by sharing ideas—and food.
            Any way you slice it, learning about the past has never been so tasty!

Reviews

After encouraging kids to eat their math and science homework (2011 and 2014), McCallum and Hernandez this time pair six recipes to the history of America from 1620 to 1789.

The historical highlights include the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, Plymouth, and the first Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving Succotash); life in the original 13 Colonies (Colonial Cherry-Berry Grunt); the French and Indian War (Lost Bread); slavery (Southern Plantation Hoe Cakes); the Boston Tea Party and the increasing enmity toward England (Revolutionary Honey-Jumble Cookies); and the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War (Independence Ice Cream). Each period is summarized in a single page of general background. The recipe follows on a double-page spread, and then a further double-page spread gives more (and more specific) information. An introduction includes a timeline of the entire period and some cooking tips ("Please ask an adult to assist you, especially when things are sharp or hot"), which include pointing out that the recipes have been modernized. The book ends with a brief review of each period, glossary, and index. The cutesy cartoon artwork visually represents some aspect(s) of the learning and goes nicely with some of the corny puns the author adds in. The recipes themselves include pretty basic ingredients, and the steps are easy to follow…provided readers know what to do when it says to "beat," "whip," etc.

Social studies teachers aren't likely to assign these for homework, but some could easily be made in class to finish off Colonial studies.
-Kirkus Reviews


Similar to McCallum and Hernandez's Eat Your Math Homework (2011), this colorful book offers recipes for six dishes related to American history and uses them as focal points for information on particular topics: succotash (the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving); cherry-berry grunt (the 13 original American colonies); lost bread, or pain perdu (the Revolutionary War and George Washington). Sidebars bring up related topics and ask readers to consider questions such as which foods in the reader's refrigerator "would not have been available to the Pilgrims." As in the earlier books, Hernandez contributes upbeat illustrations with dressed-rabbit characters. Modernizing the Thanksgiving Succotash with chunks of hot dogs seems counterproductive, and most kids young enough to enjoy the illustrations will need adult help to prepare the dishes, as McCallum advises in the "Kitchen Tips" section. Still, for parents, teachers, and students looking for hands-on experiences, here are some tasty ways for kids to connect with the history curriculum.
-Booklist

Author

Ann McCallum is the author of several books, including the upcoming Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds. She is currently a high school teacher in Maryland, though she started her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in northern Canada. She also taught English composition in the United Arab Emirates for five years. Ann enjoys reading, traveling, and walking through leaves, and hopes, one day, to climb a beanstalk.

Leeza Hernandez is an illustrator and graphic designer whose art has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and books, including Bored Bella Learns About Fiction and Nonfiction. She is the recipient of the Tomie dePaola Portfolio award from the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.