The Story of Salt - Softcover

Kurlansky, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0147511666 ISBN 13: 9780147511669

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2014

Synopsis

"[T]his salutary...micro-history will have young readers lifting their shakers in tribute."
—Kirkus Reviews, *starred review*

"A lively and well-researched title, with exemplary art."
—School Library Journal, *starred review*

From the team that created the ALA Notable Book The Cod's Tale comes the fascinating history of salt, which has been the object of wars and revolutions and is vital for life.

Based on Mark Kurlansky's critically acclaimed bestseller Salt: A World History, this handsome picture book explores every aspect of salt: The many ways it's gathered from the earth and sea; how ancient emperors in China, Egypt, and Rome used it to keep their subjects happy; Why salt was key to the Age of Exploration; what salt meant to the American Revolution; And even how the search for salt eventually led to oil. Along the way, you'll meet a Celtic miner frozen in salt, learn how to make ketchup, and even experience salt's finest hour: Gandhi's famous Salt March.

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including The Food of a Younger Land, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World; Salt: A World History; 1968: The Year That Rocked the World; and The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. He lives in New York City.

S. D. Schindler lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4-6. As in The Cod's Tale (2001), this author-illustrator team has again adapted an adult best-seller by Kurlansky into a picture book that brings astonishing history, science, and technology to middle-grade readers. The tone is occasionally condescending ("nearly 2000 years before!"), and some of the text, which is printed on the colored pictures, is not easy to read. But the informal narrative and the exquisitely detailed, sometimes playful ink-and-watercolor illustrations dramatize the sweeping world history of salt's essential role in human life--from prehistoric times and the early voyages of discovery through the breakthrough of refrigeration and the latest drilling technology. One unforgettable illustration shows defiant Gandhi leading thousands on his famous Salt March to the ocean to protest being forced to buy salt from the British. There's also a wry cartoon of Uncle Sam shaking a saltcellar on top of the globe, controlling the salt trade today. An illustrated time line sums up "Salt through the Centuries." A great cross-curricular title. Hazel Rochman
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About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0147511666
• ISBN 13: 9780147511669
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Schindler S. D.