Review: The Chocolate King
The Chocolate King by Michael Leventhal, illustrated by Laura Catalán Green Bean Books (distributed in the US by Apples & Honey), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson Buy at Bookshop.org Little Benjamin, who immigrated to France from Spain with his family when he was a baby, longs to be a Chocolate King, just like his grandfather, Marco. But, in 1630, no one in France had tasted chocolate—and, when they did, they hated it. Still, Benjamin loves to hear Marco’s tales of life in Spain before they were forced to become conversos. Trying to learn the family trade, Benjamin sneaks into the kitchen, stumbles, makes a mess of the chocolate cooking on the stove, and literally slips out the door, landing in front of the carriage of the real King of France. Whereupon, the king downs four cups of cocoa and declares it delicious. From then on, the French people love chocolate, and the family prospers. Back matter contains “A Bite-Sized History of Chocolate” and depictions