Book Review: There’s No Ham in Hamburgers

There’s No Ham in Hamburgers: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Foods by Kim Zachman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun book! Young readers will gobble up lots of surprising facts and kid-pleasing humor, while accidentally learning about history, vocabulary, language, nutrition, and science. Some recipes are included to encourage taking what they’ve learned into the kitchen. My favorite recipe is “Endothermic Reaction In Action” Ice Cream, which doesn’t require a mechanical ice cream maker. Kids will only need safe stuff that’s found in most kitchens or easily bought on your next shopping trip.

Kids love wacky trivia. I still do too, and I have “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” to thank for that. But the current generation need fresher reading material, and this book cleverly fills that need. For example: did you know that before hot dog buns were invented, hot dog vendors gave hungry folk gloves to protect their hands from the heat? But the customers kept running away with them, so they were forced to invent the hot dog bun.  And just wait till you hear what President Roosevelt said to Queen Elizabeth when she asked him how to eat a hot dog. I won’t tell you his hilarious (and kid-friendly) answer, you’ll need to read the book to find out. Oh, and at the end of that chapter, you’ll learn how easy it is to make your own mustard.

I’m giving this book four burgers and a side of fries UP!

My thanks to author Kim Zachman, NetGalley, and Running Press Kids for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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