Book Review – Two Brothers and a Chocolate Factory
My regular readers will know that I love nothing more than a good book! As a child myself, I loved reading from an early age, and hope my daughter will be the same. We read every single night together, and one of her favourite books is I love you Little Monster by Giles Andreaea, illustrated by Jess Mikhail. Her illustrations are amazing, and really bring the story to life, so when we given the opportunity to review one of her other recently illustrated books with a “local” theme, we jumped at the chance. My daughter at 3 years, is a little on the young side for this book, so one of our network mums Heather reviewed it with her daughter Sophia (aged 6). Having recently visited Cadbury World as a family, the timing was perfect.
The Book
Two Brothers and a Chocolate Factory is written by local author Juliet Clare Bell and illustrated by Jess Mikhail, who also grew up in Birmingham and attended Bournville Art College. The story tells the remarkable tale of Richard and George Cadbury and the creation of the brand and factory we know and love today. Both educational and informative, yet a fun and inspiring read, this book is great to read in conjunction with a trip to the factory, and compliments the historical element of the tour.
The book costs £11.99 and is available to buy at the Ikon Gallery or online here – https://ikon-gallery.org/shop/for-children/two-brothers-and-a-chocolate-factory/
Our Experience
Our network Mum Heather reviewed this book with her 6 year old daughter Sophia who had recently returned from a fun filled day at Cadbury World in Bournville. Her thoughts are below…
A couple of weeks ago, my family and I paid a visit to Cadbury World, where we had an amazing day out as a family. At the beginning of the tour, their is a zone dedicated to the history of Bournville and the Cadbury’s brand – but with so much going on – it is often a little ‘lost’ in the excitement of the day. Reading this book after attending is a great way to reinforce the educational message from the visit that could otherwise be forgotten amongst the free samples and rides! 🙂
Although we should never judge a book by its cover (I have to admit I did!) and the first impressions were really positive. The illustrations (of which there are plenty) are beautiful and in calming tone colours throughout, making this a great book before bedtime despite its non fictional nature. A sturdy hard back book, the pages are soft to the touch and the images form a fundamental part of the story, bringing the words to life at every stage.
The wording used by the author is well thought out. I would suggest the ideal age for a child to read this book unaided is 5 years plus as there are some tricky words, however these were complimented well with words I believe a child of that age should know. Getting the wording right and praise throughout certainly gave Sophia a confidence boost. The book therefore struck a great balance, not too hard to read but not too easy either.
As a Mum, I particularly liked the Author’s note in the back of the book – I thought this was a really nice touch, although probably aimed at the parents or children older than Sophia. It included extra little bits of information that aren’t needed for the actual story as could make it too longwinded but were still great to know.
I asked Sophia what she thought of the book, and here were her answers:-
Q – What was your favourite part of the book?
A – When the business was going to work!
Q – What did you like about the book?
A – I liked them working all together, and when they tried their best. I liked it when they grew apples and that they don’t give up ”
Q – What did you think about the pictures in the book?
A – I liked the pictures, especially the ones where they made the chocolate and built the machines and treat each other as equal.
Q – What did you think of Cadbury world when we went?Â
A – I like the chocolate factory because it smells of chocolate and I like it when we played games!
Overall, I think its fair to say the book was a real hit, and its something we will enjoy reading over and over again. Great for anyone who is learning about local history at school, and I love the fact its a part of our local heritage!
