How Sweet It Is (and Was): The History of Candy - Hardcover

Ruth Freeman Swain has been a preschool instructor and taught creative movement. She is the author of two books illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith, "Bedtime!," a National Council of Social Studies Notable book, and "Hairdo!: What We Do and Did to Our Hair,": which Booklist praised as "an entertaining, informative picture book," and which Kirkus Reviews call "a cut above." A native of Pennsylvania, Ms. Swain now lives in Maine.

Grade 2-4-From information about the ancient Egyptians to modern Danes, who each consume an average of 36 pounds of sweets per year, this work is packed with savory tidbits that will keep readers turning pages. Those familiar with the author's Hairdo!: What We Do and Did to Our Hair (Holiday, 2002) will immediately recognize the format. The trivia is presented quickly and loosely in chronological and geographical order. Swain begins with the origin of the word "candy"-from the Arabic "qandi" which in turn has an Indian Sanskrit background. From here the history moves to ancient Egyptians and Romans, Europeans of the Middle Ages, Native Americans who favored maple syrup, Queen Elizabeth I, who ruined her teeth with "kissing comfits" and "dry suckets," Mayans who held the real treasure (chocolate), and 19th-century "penny candy." Not to be overlooked are modern giants like Milton Hershey and Gummy Worms. To continue the sweet thoughts, there are three recipes: Sugar Paste (a 20th-century adaptation of a 16th- and 17th-century recipe), Vassar Fudge (definitely higher education), and "Belly-guts" Taffy (the strands look like what hung in butcher shops). O'Brien's colorful cartoon drawings take the text to a new and funnier level. This is a nonfiction treat that youngsters will enjoy with their dentists' blessings.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
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