Back of Book:
Maine lawmaker Cleveland Sleeper loved steamy, creamy, dreamy clam chowder. Thoughts of tomatoes in his chowder made him see red. So he proposed a bill to make it a crime to add tomatoes to clam chowder. New Yorkers were offended! A war of words raged until finally a duel of chefs settled the matter once and for all. The story behind the great chowder cook-off of 1939 is told by author Anna Redding with gusto, humor, and, of course, good taste.
My Review:
I received a copy of this picture book from Islandport Press in exchange for an honest review.
“Chowder Rules! The True Story of an Epic Food Fight” By Anna Crowley Redding is a fantastic nonfiction narrative that introduces readers to the two men who helped make clam chowder famous. Cleveland Sleeper, Jr. loved the smell and taste of classic clam chowder. When he heard a rumor that New York City put tomatoes in their chowder Cleveland immediately worked to make it a crime to put tomatoes into chowder. His proclamation caused a stir across the nation. Cleveland soon received a call from a man named Harry Tully who challenged Cleveland to a duel.
The duel created a stir across the nation and in the end, showed everyone that New England Clam Chowder is the best. Anna did a terrific job of bringing this unknown story to life. As a teacher, I can see using this book as a perfect introduction to opinion writing. The illustrations by Vita Lane are wonderful! I love the way she used newspapers to showcase different opinions about the two ways to make chowder. The back of the book has the winning recipe for New England Clam Chowder which I cannot wait to try. This is a well written, and fun look into a piece of unknown history.
Ages 5 and up
32 Pages
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