Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better

Augustus Jackson (1808-1852) left his family in Philadelphia when he was twelve and went to Washington, D.C., where he worked in the White House kitchens and learned to make, and improve on, ice cream - at the time, a treat only for the wealthy and privileged. (His version was made without egg.) He left the White House and returned to Philly, where he opened an ice cream parlor, and invented the practice of adding rock salt to the ice used to make ice cream, speeding up the process. He never patented his creations, but is known as the "man who invented ice cream." Musical ditties to encourage ice cream sales are included throughout the story.

The digital paintings aren't my favorite, but I liked the story!

Recipe for "make your own ice show more cream," afterword, sources. show less

The artwork vividly portrays the challenges Augustus Jackson faced during his time in slavery, while also celebrating his success in creating ice cream and pursuing his dream of bringing joy to others. While the text provides most of the key information, the stunning illustrations alone beautifully tell the story, making it accessible and engaging for young readers.

The art shows the struggle that Augustus Jackson went through while in slavery, but also highlights his success with making ice cream and following his dream of making other people happy. The text helps with the majority of the key information, but kids could follow the story just based on the beautiful illustrations.

The artwork in this book is realistic. This helps you see the characters life as more realistic and relatable. In this book it shows his childhood through his adult years showing the progress of his hard work to become the ice cream man.

Augustus Jackson was born in 1808 in Philadelphia. While most African Americans were enslaved at that time, in Pennsylvania, slavery was against the law. But while Augustus and his family were free, they were poor, and they depended on their garden and their chickens for food. Augustus enjoyed helping his mom prepare meals for their family. He dreamed of becoming a professional cook, and when his mom suggested he may be able to make meals for the president one day, Augustus didn’t waste any time in making that dream a reality. In 1820, when he was only twelve years old, he set off for Washington, DC. He applied to work in the White House, where the head cook offered him a job as a kitchen helper. After five years of working hard, show more Augustus, or Gus, was promoted to cook. He went on to serve presidents James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson. During his time at the White House, Augustus became an expert at making a popular egg-based dessert. He soon made an eggless version—known to us today as ice cream—and left the White House determined to make and sell the frozen treat to everyone, not just the wealthy. show less

- Age: Primary

- About Augustus Jackson and his road from growing up to making ice cream at the white house and further.

- This would be cool to have in the classroom as students would love to learn about the history of their favorite sweet treat.

#275,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#125 in Children's Books on Inventions & Inventors
#375 in Children's Historical Biographies (Books)
#470 in Children's Multicultural Biographies
Independent Reading Level (Ages 5-8)