How Do You Raise a Raisin?

"How do you raise a raisin?
Tell me so I'll know.
They're such peculiar little things.
How do they sprout and grow?
Do raisins grow on Earth, or other planets, far away?
Do aliens collect them and space-shuttle them our way?"
-How Do You Raise a Raisin?

I have to admit, I never thought I would read a whole book about raisins, but Pam Ryan and Craig Brown really created a tummy rumbling book with this short non-fiction book about how raisins are made. On the left side of each page there is a stanza from a poem that questions how raisins are made. On the right side, there is a simple and honest explanation that answers the questions. Who knew that it took 26,280 hours to raise good grapevines for raisins, or that it takes four and one-half pounds of fresh grapes to make one pound of raisins.

To be honest with you, I never thought I would care, but the way this book is put together, you find yourself wondering what interesting little tidbit you are going to learn when you turn the page. The pictures are awesome too. Complementing the page that asks "Are they soaked inside a bathtub until their skin is crinkled?" there is a wonderful marker-and-pastel illustration of a happy raisin soaking in a tub with his rubber ducky. This book is a great way to get students wondering about how different things are created. It even includes instructions on how to make the yummy raisiny snacks "Ants on a Log", "Rats on a Raft", and "Super Balls".