The Way the Cookie Crumbled: Ready-to-Read Level 3

History of Fun Stuff

by Jody Jensen Shaffer, Kelly Kennedy (Illustrations)

C is for cookie in this fact-tastic nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read that explores the history of cookies, part of a series about the history of fun stuff!

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth I used to have gingerbread cookies molded into the shapes of her favorite advisers? Or that Girl Scouts used to bake the cookies they sold themselves? Or that if you stacked all the Oreos ever made, they would reach to the moon and back five times? Become a History of Fun Stuff Expert on the super-sweet history of cookies and amaze your friends with all you’ve learned in this fun, fact-filled Level 3 Ready-to-Read!

A special section at the back of the book includes Common Core–vetted extras on subjects like science, social studies, and math, and there’s even a fun quiz so readers can test themselves to see what they’ve learned! Learning history has never been so much fun!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Food, Childrens, Picture Books

48 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2016

About the author

Jody Jensen Shaffer is an award-winning poet and the author of more than 70 books of fiction and nonfiction for children, including PRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW, a Missouri Show Me Award finalist for 2019-2020 and Missouri’s choice for the National Book Festival in 2017, A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, nominee for the 2021-2022 Iowa Goldfinch Award, IT’S YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, BUSY BUS!, an Amazon best-seller and Amazon Prime Book Box pick for September 2019, EMERGENCY KITTENS!, WHO IS JACKIE CHAN? and more. Jody’s poetry and fiction have been published in magazines like Highlights, Ladybug, and Clubhouse Jr. Jody lives in Liberty, Missouri, with her family. When she’s not writing, Jody can be found spending time with family and walking her rescue dog, Sophie.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book definitely intended for Americans, and probably a second grade level- this book covers the history of cookies since the beginning of time and in America. I really like all the extras in the back- cookies around the world (including Thailand), the chemistry of baking, and a comprehension multiple choice quiz.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a neat book to learn about cookies and the history of how they began, but my first grader did not expect this. It is a ready to read book, level 3, but he had a hard time reading a lot of the words. He thought it was going to be a different kind of cookie story.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything you want to know about cookies, history, recipes, worldwide favorites in a leveled reader format. Having been a cookie fan for over 50 years, I still learned some new things! First question on quiz on the last page is incorrect, however.

[Emily A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and fun.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history of cookies. Worth the read.

[Bonnie Arriola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love cookies, so…..

[Chris Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually read a book by the same name by Doulas Franklin. It was a memoir, interesting in parts and I painful in others

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS CUTE. Unfortunately, there's a quiz in the back and the first question doesn't even contain the right answer LOL so this bugged me a little

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids love cookies. Learning about the history of the cookie is very interesting and engaging. Cookies had a rough start about ten thousand years ago, grain mixed with water were baked on sun warmed rocks. In the 600s of Persia, eggs, butter, cream, fruit, honey and sugar were added to the same flat tasting paste. Clay ovens with wood fires baked these little cakes. Overtime, many countries and cultures added their own twists of flavor like cinnamon, anise, coconut and molasses to name a few.

Recipes were created and shared. Machines were designed and the packaged cookie was born. History shows the cookie was used as a way to celebrate a special occasion, like the change of the seasons. In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas was given carrots for his horses. Later Santa Claus was left cookies as a sign of hope for better times ahead. Young readers will enjoy learning about the history of the cookie. Parents and teachers will appreciate kids wanting to read a nonfiction book that has a subject they can sink their teeth into.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where did the cookie and all it's popular variations come from? This book has the answer to that and more.

This is a fascinating history of those tasty hand-held dessert treats. I learned more than one thing from this little, cheerfully illustration and informative book. Nothing less than what I've come to expect from this History of Fun Stuff series. There's also science info in the back on how chemical reactions are involved in cookie baking, and then math activities with a yummy recipe. As always, I just wish there was a bibliography in the books in this series. I'm really curious to know where the author dug up some of this info. (Not that I doubt it. I'm just curious to know more.) Great nonfiction read for history, science or math.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting and easy look at the history of cookies. This series is great because it tells the origin story of things that will really be of interest to kids and the series are all easy readers.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads. Very quick and interesting book. You will learn a lot while being entertained.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining book on the history of cookies. There is a typo on the history of cookies quiz, page 48, question number one.