Fairy Floss: The Sweet Story of Cotton Candy

by Ann Ingalls, Migy Blanco (Illustrator)

Overview

Step right up and read about the debut of cotton candy at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904!

The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, was an exhibition like none other. It had huge buildings for displaying all sorts of inventions and machines, exhibits from all around the world, and vendors selling new foods, including something called Fairy Floss, which we now call cotton candy.

In this book, a young girl named Lily and her Aunt Mae are told all about Fairy Floss by John Wharton, one of the inventors. Lily can't wait to go to the Fair and see how it's made. While there, she even makes a batch for herself!

Readers will get a glimpse of the excitement and innovation of the Fair through the descriptive text and the detailed illustrations in this beautiful historical fiction picture book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781499802382
Publisher:	little bee books
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Migy Blanco was born in Salford, England, Migy went to university in London, and then spent 10 years working in advertising and editorial illustration. After marrying, he moved to Buenos Aires. There, surrounded by the vibrancy and colour of South America, he developed a children's book style that is bold, magical and eye-catching. Migy recently moved back to the UK and, for the first time in his life, he is living outside of a mega-city, enjoying nature and exploring new inspiration.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2017
K-Gr 3—Through the actions and dialogue of a fictional young girl named Lillie and her aunt Mae, kids learn about the beginnings of an irresistible American favorite: cotton candy. While visiting John Wharton's candy shop, Lillie and Mae strike up a conversation with him and notice how hard he is working to hand-crank a machine that makes a treat called candy thread. Mr. Wharton tells them that he and his dentist friend, William Morrison, will be showing off a new invention at the upcoming St. Louis World's Fair of 1904: an electric candy-spinner that does all the work and spins the melted sugar into an even finer consistency, which the men have dubbed fairy floss. Lillie and Mae promise to visit the exhibit at the World's Fair, and when they arrive, they find it within the Palace of Electricity, where fascinating modern-day conveniences of the early 1900s were introduced, such as electric coffeemakers, toasters, fans, and typewriters. The author uses a few contemporaneous words and expressions, such as lollapalooza and razzle-dazzle, but the dialogue among the three characters is rather stilted. Blanco's colorful, distinctive, retro illustrations portray the era mostly through the clothing: long skirts and blouses with bows around the collar for the women and girls, and suits for the men, with both sexes donning hats of all kinds. VERDICT A sunny if unsubstantial treatment for additional purchase only.—Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

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