CHOCOLATE STORIES
(excerpts from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure to obtain permission from the copyright
holder if the material is not in the public domain)

I need chocolate stories for an Chocolate Festival event.
Response: Sites about the history of chocolate with information such as Cortez brought chocolate back from the Aztecs could lead to a Mayan story, etc.

1) The first link below does hold one tale to do with hot chocolate. Another one that came to mind is The Queen With the Cold Cold Heart, found in Crazy Gibberish and Other Story Hour Stretches : From a Storyteller's Bag of Tricks by Naomi Baltuck. The wicked wizard is melted down into a marshmallow which the Queen then puts in the hot chocolate. Kids LOVE this story, very interactive. Check out the sites below.

2) Story with hot chocolate in the text.
Mexican Folktales -- The Smiling Rabbit
http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/kids/about/html/myths/rabbit_kids.html

3) The chocolate chip cookie is the Massachusetts State cookie. Honest.
In 1997 the GENERAL LAWS OF MASSACHUSETTS. Chapter 2: Section 42. Cookie of commonwealth. Section 42. made "The chocolate chip cookie shall be the official cookie of the commonwealth." See more @
http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/gl%2D2%2Dtoc.htm

4) Chocolat - A History of Chocolate
http://www.cinetropic.com/chocolat/history.html

5) Chocolate Facts, Legends & Myths
http://www.creativechocolates.com/choc_info_index.html

6) History of Cookies
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CookieHistory.htm

7) Click here: The Story of Chocolate
http://www.americandy.com/stofch.htm

Chocolate chip cookie - Today the chocolate chip cookie remains a favorite choice among cookie connoisseurs. The term "toll house" has become a part of the American language.

History: The first chocolate chip cookies was invented in 1930 by Ruth Wakefield of Whitman, MA, who ran the Toll House Restaurant. One day she was experimenting with the recipe of a colonial cookie called the "butter drop-do." Having a bar of semisweet chocolate on hand, she chopped it into pieces and stirred the chunks of chocolate into the cookie dough. She assumed that the chocolate would melt and spread throughout each cookie. Instead the chocolate bits held their shape and created a sensation. She called her new creation the Toll House Crunch Cookies. Word of the cookie spread and it became so popular that the Nestle Company, seeing the potential, developed a scored semisweet chocolate bar with a small cutting implement so that making the chocolate chunks would be easier. Mr. Wakefield's cookie recipe was printed on the wrapper of each bar. This cookie was little known until Betty Crocker published it in her radio series on "Famous Foods From Famous Eating Places" in 1939.
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8) I remember a story I read when I was a child -- Hot as Summer Cold as Winter --- the essence of it was a very demanding King wanted something special to eat---ordered something Hot as Summer and Cold as Winter---There was the contest because none of the King's cooks could come up with something to satisfy and finally a young boy comes with ice cream with hot fudge sauce on it---which of course is Hot as summer--cold as winter. Perhaps he could win the charming princess for such ingenuity. I suspect it appeared in Children's Activities somewhere in the mid forties---how about that for a specific reference. But I suspect you could take the bones and do something with it.
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9) There is chocolate rhyme (with hand motions) from Tortillas para mamá. Rhyme is in English and Spanish.
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10) This story is kind of a joke: A man knew he was dying, and in the final stages of his illness he was visited at home by the doctor. Because the man had asked him to when the time came, the doctor said, "Listen, today is probably your last. Do you want me to tell your wife?" Weakly, the man nodded. The man dozed, drifting in and out of awareness. Then, a sensation permeated his consciousness. He smelled chocolate cookies baking. "This is it," he thought, as he opened his eyes. "I'm in heaven. God certainly knows chocolate chip cookies are my favourite." But when he opened his eyes, he was in his bedroom. The smell was wafting up from downstairs. The man summoned his last bit of energy, slowly and painfully drawing himself out of bed and onto the stairs. Step by slow, deliberate step he descended, the smell growing ever stronger. Finally he reached the first floor and turned into the kitchen, leaning on the wall for support. Every inch of surface space was taken up with chocolate chip cookies--cooling on racks, stacked in Tupperware, lying on dishtowels, waiting on cookie sheets to be baked. The man smiled as a tear slid down his cheek. "My wife," he thought. "The doctor told her. Bless her for thinking of this." And he reached out a hand for a cookie. A spatula reached out and smacked his hand. "Stay out of those," his wife commanded. "They're for the funeral."

11) Coming out in September 2008:
• The Chocolate Tree: A Mayan Folktale (On My Own Folklore) by Linda Lowery, Richard Keep and Janice Lee Porter (illus). (20008 - ages 4-8)
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS WITH CHOCOLATE IN THEM:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. (reprint 2007 - Ages 9-12) (one version)
Review by a reader:
A classic children's book and rightly so. Roald Dahl is one of the great authors for children, which is obvious since his books are still fun, funny, and interesting for adults. The story is simple and sweet (that is not suppose to be a pun). The writing never talks down to children without being above their heads. You need to get this or any Roald Dahl book for any child you really care about (if they have a sense of humor or need to learn what it is to have one) or if you missed this classic as a child don't wait any longer and read it.
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• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake (illus). (reprint 2005 - Ages 9-12) (another version)
Amazon.com
For the first time in a decade, Willy Wonka, the reclusive and eccentric chocolate maker, is opening his doors to the public--well, five members of the public to be exact. The lucky five who find a Golden Ticket in their Wonka chocolate bars will receive a private tour of the factory, given by Mr. Wonka himself. For young Charlie Bucket, this a dream come true. And, when he finds a dollar bill in the street, he can't help but buy two Wonka's Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delights--even though his impoverished family could certainly use the extra dollar for food. But as Charlie unwraps the second chocolate bar, he sees the glimmer of gold just under the wrapper! The very next day, Charlie, along with his unworthy fellow winners Mike Teavee, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Augustus Gloop, steps through the factory gates to discover whether or not the rumors surrounding the Chocolate Factory and its mysterious owner are true. What they find is that the gossip can't compare to the extraordinary truth, and for Charlie, life will never be the same again. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, another unforgettable masterpiece from the legendary Roald Dahl, never fails to delight, thrill, and utterly captivate. (Ages 9 to 12)

• The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling and Margot Apple (illus). (2006 - Ages 9-12)
Book Description
John Midas loves chocolate. He loves it so much that he'll eat it any hour of any day. He doesn't care if he ruins his appetite. He thinks chocolate is better than any other food! But one day, after wandering into a candy store and buying a piece of their best chocolate, John finds out that there might just be such a thing as too much chocolate. . . .
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• Cam Jansen 14 Chocolate Fudge Mystery (Cam Jansen) by David A. Adler and Susanna Natti (illus). (2004 - Ages 4-8)
From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. Cam (short for Camera) Jansen and her faithful companion, Eric Shelton, encounter yet another mystery as they try to raise funds for charity by selling fudge bars and rice cakes. (They never do explain the mystery of that unlikely combination.) This time Cam spots a woman behaving suspiciously in the vicinity of a supposedly vacant house. It requires only Cam's photographic memory (which she activates by saying "Click" constantly), deductive reasoning, and a short surveillance for the duo to ascertain that a criminal is hiding out and to alert a grateful police force. Cam satisfies the childhood fantasy of being smarter than adults and dealing successfully with mystery and danger, and young readers seem to be able to tolerate the clicks and to suspend reality in order to marvel at her wonderful ways. Another fix for the beginning readers who demand mystery books. Sheilamae O'Hara
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• Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith and Giola Fiammenghi. (2006 - Ages 4-8)
Book Description
Henry loves chocolate so much, it practically runs through his veins. Chocolate cake, chocolate cereal, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, and chocolate cookies—and that’s just breakfast! Still, it comes as a shock when he suddenly breaks out in chocolaty brown spots and is diagnosed with . . . Chocolate Fever. And, rather than be poked and prodded by doctors, Henry runs away, starting the adventure of a lifetime. But at the end of it all, the question remains: Is there a cure for Chocolate Fever?
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• Thomas and Friends: Percy's Chocolate Crunch and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories (Pictureback(R)) by Random House. (2003 - Baby-Preschool)
Book Description
Straight from the latest Thomas video come three delightful new tales from the Island of Sodor. Thomas fans will laugh when Percy has an accident at the chocolate factory; meet a new engine named Salty, who has a secret; and go through a tough day with Harold the Helicopter. Filled with gentle humor and lots of photo illustrations.
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• A Chocolate Moose for Dinner (Stories to Go!) by Fred Gwynne (illus). (2005 - Ages 4-8)
Book Description
A gorilla war? Car pools? A chocolate moose? Playing the piano by ear? It's no wonder a little girl is confused by some of the strange things she overhears her mommy and daddy saying. With his hilarious wordplay and zany illustrations, Fred Gwynne keeps children of all ages in stitches!
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• Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by H.A. Rey. (1998 - Ages 4-8)
Book Description
When George and the man with the yellow hat stop to shop at a chocolate factory store, George becomes curious about how chocolates are made. Though he begins to follow the factory tour, George is soon off on his own to investigate. The adventures of Curious George continue in an all-new series beginning in fall 1998 with eight new stories. Written and illustrated in the style of Margret and H. A. Rey, the books will appear in paperback (8 x 8") and hardcover editions and will feature the art of Vipah Interactive, the animators of HMI's Curious George CD-ROMs.
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• Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven. (2002 - Ages 9-12)
From Publishers Weekly
Van Frankenbuyzen's (L Is for Lincoln) opening spread of a bombed-out West Berlin speaks volumes about the necessity of the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift, the setting for this somewhat overwritten tale. During this time, the British and American forces flew food and basic supplies into the city after the Russian blockade cut off all access to it. After a historical note, Raven (Angels in the Dust) introduces Mercedes, a likable young West Berliner who tends the white chickens in her yard. One morning, her mother reads her a newspaper article about an American pilot, Lt. Gail Halvorsen, who, when delivering supplies to the city, "rained down sweets" on children waiting by the runway ("They carried flour and clothing and coal too. And something else!" reads the narrative). At the airfield, an older, taller boy snags the chocolate bar headed her way, and Mercedes sends Halvorsen a letter ("When you fly over the garden and see the white chickens, please drop some candy there and all will be ok"). He then mails her a package of treats ("The memory of this day would stay with her for the rest of her life"). Unfortunately, the epilogue is more compelling than the narrative: readers learn that Mercedes met Halvorsen in 1972, and the two remain friends. The close-up portraits may be static, but the artist's lifelike depictions of the devastated city are chilling; bullet and shrapnel holes mar even the girl's garden walls. Despite the cumbersome text, a sketch of an uncommonly giving man and a rare friendship emerges. Ages 5-10.
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• Chocolate by Hershey: A Story About Milton S. Hershey (A Carolrhoda Creative Minds Book) by Betty Burford and Loren Chantland (illus). (1994)
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6 At age 18, in 1876, Hershey started his own candy business, and, after some failures, went on to build a town and a chocolate factory in a cornfield and named them after himself. Today, Hershey, PA, attracts millions of tourists. Thousands of orphaned and disadvantaged young people have graduated from the Milton Hershey School, which he and his wife founded. And Hershey's candies are recognized worldwide. This biography is a well-rounded presentation that shows the successes and difficulties of this entrepreneur's life. The black-and-white somewhat grainy illustrations are reminiscent of photographs of the period. Average fare about the life of a highly creative man.?Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
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• The Story of Chocolate (DK READERS) by DK Publishing. (2005 - Ages 4-8)
Book Description
Stunning photographs and engaging, age-appropriate stories are guaranteed to capture a child's interest while developing reading skills and general knowledge. DK Readers allow progression from stories for beginning readers with simple sentences and word repetition through to stories with rich vocabulary and more challenging sentence structure for proficient readers.
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• Lilly's Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes (illus). (2003 - Baby-Preschool)
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2--Lilly has one red-foil-wrapped chocolate heart left and she wants to find the perfect hiding place for it. However, every place the little mouse considers is either too dusty, too warm, too tight, too narrow, or just wrong. She finally decides to put the candy in her mouth: "Perfect." The straightforward text is printed on pastel-colored pages facing a picture of Lilly on a white background. This is a delightfully simple tale, but not really a concept for the under three-year-olds who would appreciate the board-book format. Slightly older children will enjoy the story but they're likely to be turned off by the packaging. Too bad.--Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
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• Smart About Chocolate: A Sweet History (Smart About History) (Smart About History) by Sandra Markel and Charise Mericle Harper (illus). (2004 - Ages 4-8)
Product Description
Our unique, kid-friendly Smart About series continues with something for your sweet tooth! Smart About Chocolate is "chock-full" of fun facts about the history of chocolate, from the Mayans to Milton Hershey! Kids will learn how chocolate comes from beans of the rain forest's cacao trees and how candymakers in England and Switzerland first produced the chocolate we know and love today. Includes recipes and recommendations of classic books about chocolate.
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• Release date: September 2008
Chocolate Smarts: The Question and Answer Cards That Make Learning about Chocolate Eaasy and Fun! by Smarts Co.
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• Chocolatina (with Stickers) (I Love You) by Erik Kraft. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
Book Description
"You are what you eat," Mrs. Ferdman reminds her students during every health class. But all Tina likes to eat is chocolate. One day she wishes Mrs. Ferdman's favorite saying were true, and the very next morning she wakes up as a girl made of chocolate! Kids will laugh along with this scrumptious story and its delicious illustrations.
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(This web page updated 9/10/03; 5/13/08)