How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest?
Leisa Stewart-Sharpe, author
Leisa Stewart-Sharpe is a journalist turned children’s author who grew up in Australia. She has traveled and adventured all over the world. Leisa has come face-to-face with an aye-aye in the Madagascan jungle, sweated across the grasslands of Kenya (chased by a herd of elephants!), and has snorkeled with sharks Down Under. Today Leisa writes children’s books from a shed in her English garden, including her bestselling nonfiction books. All of her books have one thing in common: they’re about wild animals in wild places and written for wild children.
Read more about Leisa.
Aaron Cushley, illustrator
Aaron Cushley is an illustrator and doodler of dogs. He studied illustration and graphic design at the University of Ulster, Belfast School of Art. Aaron’s work stems from his inner child and the innocence and creativity that emerges whenever he takes a pencil into his hand. He’s illustrated many books for children, including If the World Were 100 People: A Visual Guide to Our Global Village.
Read more about Aaron.
- Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year 2024
Kirkus Reviews
Visits to 11 of the most extreme places on Earth—and beyond.
Inviting intrepid young explorers to pack up survival gear and follow along, Stewart-Sharpe leads a zigzag tour that begins in the heat-blasted Danakil Depression of Ethiopia, ends on Mars, and in between roves from the subterranean Krubera Cave in (the country of) Georgia and the benthic Challenger Deep to volcanic Zavodovski Island (“The world’s stinkiest place”). Along with proposing such feats as sky-diving to the top of Mount Everest and hauling a pulk (sled) across Antarctica, the author name-drops dozens of actual people, including many with disabilities, who have done the same and also calls attention to each locale’s distinctive sights, sounds, scents, sensations, and tastes. Cushley provides such helpful images as a tally of useful supplies but goes mostly for montage-style outdoor scenes populated by local wildlife and small, racially diverse visitors. Even seasoned armchair travelers will not only encounter some unfamiliar places, but are likely to find all of them more memorable for the sensory notes about, for instance, the taste of piranha (“weirdly ‘muddy’ ”), the smell of a lightning storm over Lake Maracaibo, or the feeling of a venomous mulga snake gliding over a boot in the Australian Outback. A reminder to take care of our planet plus the leading question “But where to next?” add suitable closing notes.
Strong appeals to the sense of adventure as well as the typical other five. (glossary)
Children's Literature
How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest? is a unique and engaging book that takes readers on a sensory journey to some of the most extreme places on Earth. The book is divided into 12 chapters, each of which focuses on a different extreme environment. For each environment, the authors describe what it would be like to experience the sights, sounds, smells, touch, and taste of that place. The book is beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs and illustrations. The photographs are particularly effective at bringing extreme environments to life. The illustrations are also well-done, and they help to add to the sense of wonder and excitement that the book evokes. The writing in the book is clear and engaging. The authors do a great job of explaining the science behind the extreme environments, and they also make sure to include interesting facts and anecdotes. The book is full of fascinating information, and it is sure to leave readers with a deeper understanding of Earth's most extreme places. One of the strengths of the book is its focus on the senses. The authors do a great job of describing what it would be like to experience the sights, sounds, smells, touch, and taste of each extreme environment. This makes the book very immersive, and it helps readers to feel like they are actually there. Another strength of the book is its illustrations. The photographs and illustrations are beautifully done, and they help to bring the extreme environments to life. The illustrations are also very informative, and they help to explain the science behind the extreme environments. Overall, How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest? is a well-written and engaging book that is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers. The book is a great choice for anyone who is interested in learning more about Earth's most extreme places.
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-419-5
Ages: 6–9
Page count: 68
81/2 x 11