So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor (So You Want To Be A...)

"If you were to create the best-tasting ice cream in the world, how would you do it? Did you know that there’s a real science behind creating new ice cream flavors? In Linda Soules’ So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor, there’s lots to learn about creating ice cream flavors. The simple fact is that ice cream has to be made sweeter than other desserts because the freezing process dulls the sweetness. Now, I never knew that, did you? Also, it’s the nose that deserves most of the credit. Why? Because it’s the most powerful sense to influence the taste buds. Not to mention color, which affects the way the brain processes the experience. Being an ice cream flavor inventor is definitely more than just eating ice cream all day, every day.

Linda Soules’ book, So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor, is a tasty, mouthwatering kids’ guide to ice cream science, flavor development, food innovation, and the creative taste-testers who dream up the scoops we all scream for. This book is one of the popular So You Want to Be… series. Being an ice cream flavor inventor is perhaps a job we all take for granted, not realizing that the tasty, cold delight we enjoy actually took a lot of work to create. The author presents becoming an ice cream inventor in a way that will spark a young reader’s interest not just in another sweet treat from the freezer, but in the possibility of becoming the scientist, the creator, behind it. The illustrations are as interesting and inventive as the proposition itself. This series is a wonderful way not only to introduce young readers to fascinating jobs but also to present something that many of us never appreciated as a prospective career opportunity. I loved it, and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the sweet treat we all love to eat."

"Linda Soules’ So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor is a fun, fascinating, and surprisingly eye-opening children’s book that turns a dream job into a real-world career young readers can understand. At first, inventing ice cream flavors may sound like a job that is all about eating delicious scoops, but this book quickly shows that there is much more happening behind the scenes. Through clear explanations and engaging examples, Soules introduces readers to the chemistry, creativity, patience, and problem-solving involved in developing a successful new flavor.

One of the strongest parts of the book is the way it explains the science of taste in a kid-friendly but respectful way. Readers learn why cold temperatures can hide sweetness, why the nose does much of the work when we taste food, and how color can change the way the brain experiences flavor. These details make the book both educational and memorable. The fun facts are especially enjoyable, from the real ice cream graveyard in Vermont to the professional taster whose tongue was insured for a million dollars. These are the kinds of facts young readers will want to share with everyone.

Beyond the trivia, the book does an excellent job connecting curiosity to real careers. Soules shows how food science, flavor chemistry, sensory science, and the culinary arts all come together in the work of an ice cream flavor inventor. The book invites kids to think like scientists and creators. The hands-on activities and kitchen experiments make the subject feel accessible, encouraging readers to start testing their own ideas at home.

With colorful illustrations, approachable writing, and a wonderfully creative subject, So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor is a delightful blend of science, imagination, and career exploration. It’s perfect for curious kids, future chefs, STEM lovers, and anyone who has ever wondered how their favorite frozen treat came to be. This is an engaging and educational book that makes food science exciting and shows young readers that even a scoop of ice cream can lead to endless discovery."

"So You Want To Be an Ice Cream Flavor Inventor by Linda Soules is a nonfiction guide that meets kids where they already are: curious, hungry, and full of questions. Part of the So You Want To Be A... series, it introduces a real career path for readers ages 10–12 and parents reading alongside them.

Soules covers how the five basic tastes and the nose shape what we perceive as flavor, then walks through test kitchen tools, including batch freezers and refractometers, and a workday from morning tastings to late recipe tweaks. She does not gloss over the hard parts: cold dulls spice and sweetness, and most flavors take many batches before they work. Readers meet the wider team behind each scoop, explore ingredients from matcha to ube, and learn brief histories of vanilla and early American ice cream makers. The closing sections include the jelly bean test, kitchen activities, career paths through cooking or food science, and a glossary.

Soules writes with warmth and clarity, keeping science approachable for young readers without talking down to them. The vivid digital illustrations give children something bright to return to on denser pages. Within the series, this title keeps the same steady, respectful tone parents will recognize from other volumes.

This is a thoughtful pick for family bookshelves or classroom career units. It treats flavor invention as real, meaningful work. I closed it convinced that learning to taste with attention might be the most useful lesson in the whole book."

"I read this with my nephew. He really like it. He never realized that tasting ice cream could be a job. This book opened up a world of possibilities for him. He enjoyed seeing all the different ways making ice cream could be a job and how he could do it too, if he wanted to. He was so excited he started thinking of different combinations he could put together to make his own ice cream. I loved how there was a portion about history and a break down of the equipment and popular tools. This book was so informative and educational but fun. It's great for kids who love STEM."

"This book does a great job showing that creating a new flavor is about much more than just mixing ingredients together. There is real science, creativity, and a lot of trial and error behind every scoop. Some of my favorite parts were the little facts sprinkled throughout the book. I had no idea that cold temperatures can hide sweetness or that our noses do most of the work when it comes to tasting food. I also loved reading about the real ice cream graveyard in Vermont and the professional taster whose tongue was insured for a million dollars. Those are the kinds of details that stick with you.

The book never talks down to young readers. It makes food science feel exciting and achievable, encouraging kids to ask questions, experiment in the kitchen, and think creatively. The hands-on activities are a nice touch and help turn the ideas into something they can actually try themselves. The colorful illustrations and easy-to-follow writing keep everything engaging, and I can easily see this appealing to curious kids, future chefs, or anyone who simply loves ice cream. It's a fun, educational read that mixes imagination with real-world science."

"Once again, Linda Soules does an amazing job providing very specific details about what to expect from this career.

While the science and terms in SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ICE CREAM FLAVOR INVENTOR make it appropriate for older elementary and middle schoolers, the information is fascinating even for adults. Did you know that Ben and Jerry have an actual graveyard with tombstones for retired flavors?

The book contains the history of ice cream as well as details about the career and what kids can do now to prepare for this field. However, I am going to use what I learned to experiment inventing flavors with my ice cream maker at home."

"I picked this up because the title alone made me smile, and it ended up being way more interesting than I expected. It does a great job mixing science, creativity, and food without making it feel like a school lesson.

What I liked most is how it gets kids thinking. Instead of just talking about ice cream, it explains how flavors are created and tested, which is honestly pretty fascinating. I found myself learning a few things too lol.

Fun, easy to follow, and full of ideas that make you want to start inventing your own flavors. Really enjoyable read."

"So You Want To Be an Ice Cream Flavor Inventor is one of those rare kids’ books that manages to be wildly fun, genuinely educational, and totally re‑readable. Linda Soules takes a dream job—ice cream flavor inventor—and turns it into a full behind‑the‑scenes adventure that kids (and honestly, adults) will love.

What makes this book shine is how it blends real food science, creative problem‑solving, and kid‑friendly storytelling. Readers get to follow a real flavor inventor from the spark of an idea all the way through dozens of taste tests, experiments, and surprising discoveries. The facts sprinkled throughout are the kind kids repeat at dinner for weeks—like why cold hides sweetness, how much your nose actually does the tasting, and yes… that there’s a real ice cream flavor graveyard.

The tone is respectful, curious, and empowering. Soules never talks down to kids; she invites them into the process like true junior scientists. The illustrations are bright and engaging, and the step‑by‑step look at how flavors are developed makes the whole career feel both magical and achievable.

If you have a curious kid, a budding chef, a science lover, or just a household that screams for ice cream, this book is a total win. It’s the kind of title that belongs in classrooms, libraries, and every kitchen where creativity happens."

"Recently, I came across piña colada ice cream in my grocery store. I couldn't wait to take it home to try it. Could whoever made the ice cream possibly get the flavour close to one of my favourite drinks? And if they did, how did they do it?

The timing of my finding this book and discovering that piña colada ice cream was uncanny. Here was a book written for grades 4 to 6 children that addressed my own curiosity about one of my favourite treats, ice cream. Well what a delightful surprise this book was. I'm not only enjoyed reading it but I learned so much about the manufacture of ice cream. I had no idea the number of people involved in coming up with that multitude of flavours that we love, of the trial and error that goes into it, or how the addition or subtraction of single ingredients, including spices, like chili, can alter the flavour of ice cream. I didn't know that ice cold temperatures depress the sweetness of ice cream, that a pinch of salt enhances its sweetness, that "brain freeze" is a real thing, or an ice cream tester who samples 60 flavors a day uses a gold spoon for testing because gold spoons leave no aftertaste. All fascinating stuff, not to mention the brilliant illustrations and encouragement for students to actually develop their abilities for a future in ice cream invention.

This is truly an amazing book and the author has published another 185 books in the 'So you wanna be a ...' series. I highly recommend this book for your children or students. And Oh, getting back to that pina colada ice cream I bought? Positively delicious!"

"SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ICE CREAM FLAVOR INVENTOR is a simple guide that can teach you how to come up with new flavors of ice cream from mixing together existing food flavors. A flavor inventor gets to know the different flavor families in the world that are mainly used in coming up with flavors of ice cream.

The author has given the reader different steps when it comes to inventing and offered candid explanations on what goes on in these different stages. The important qualities needed in perfecting this process as well as what you might think is not needed are also stated clearly in this book.

This book helps children understand the fact that they can be playful in the kind of flavors they invent and their ideas are not confined. And a little fun fact in the end could not hurt anyone."

"You may find yourself amazed at all of the science and selection that goes into creating ice cream flavors. Much like a music reviewer needs to stop and listen to the different sections of the music -- the drums, the vocals, the rhythm, the lyrics -- an ice cream flavor inventor needs to be able to break down the flavors, scent, and feel of their ice cream concoctions.

Reading this delightful, interesting, and educational book will let you know if you have the chops to be an ice cream flavor inventor. Because not only do you have to have a great sense of taste, you also need a great sense of smell and an eye/nose/and tastebuds for detecting what flavors play well together!

Author Linda Soules has put together another amazing little book for all ages of kids and adults that can really provide info for anyone who may want to get into any type of food creation."

"SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ICE CREAM FLAVOR INVENTOR is such a wonderful little book that gives you insight into the process of manufacturing ice cream and all the interesting flavours we see out there in the world. It answered a lot of questions that had always been at the back of my mind.

While aimed at kids, this is actually a very fun read for adults as well. The illustrations compliment the narrative providing a useful learning tool as you move throughout the book, so it isn’t just an info dump like we’ve seen with other books of a similar nature.

I can’t express how much I enjoyed this book. It explained so much about the food science, a lot that I didn’t personally know, and explained all of the effort that goes into concocting these amazing flavours, while identifying different roles.

If you have a child who is interested in this sort of thing, or even if you are just curious yourself, I would definitely recommend this."

"This is the fourth 'So you want to be' book I have read. For each of them I continue to recommend them to anyone who teaches or homeschools. Each of these books is packed full with information on the topic. Growing up we would make ice cream in the hand turn machine with rock salt and I never truly grasped the concept of how this worked much less how flavors are created. Even as a post graduate adult I was able to read this book and learn from it. The author has spent alot of time developing and formatting this series so it is informative to all ages. The breakdown of processes and procedures was great information, the skills and education required for this industry and field was eye opening. Even after touring Turkey Hill and Ben and Jerry's this book still taught me a lot. I recommend this book to any teacher in middle school and anyone who wants to know more about how ice cream is truly created. I will be reading other books in this series. Keep them coming."

"SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ICE CREAM FLAVOR INVENTOR is a fun and informative book that shows what happens behind the scenes of one of the sweetest jobs and explains how science, creativity, and hard work make the perfect scoop.

I really liked how practical the book is. Besides explaining the career, the book shows the tools flavor inventors use, what their workday is like, the challenges they face, the education they may need, and the skills that help them succeed. The easy hands-on activities and kitchen experiments help readers try food science themselves and make the career feel possible instead of out of reach. This book is such a treat. It blends food science, creativity, history, and career insights in a way that is both easy to learn and super fun."

"This story is a very inspiring story. It takes children with dreams to their destination. It actually gives you a head start. It is interesting and it makes me crave ice cream. Because of this book I am thinking of making a new flavor called the bff flavor which probably includes you and your favorite things."

"So You Want to Be an Ice Cream Flavor Inventor is a fun and interesting book that introduces readers to the job of creating new ice cream flavors. It explains what an ice cream flavor inventor does, what a typical workday looks like, and how taste, smell, and other senses are used to come up with new treats. The book also talks about the tools used in the job, where flavor inventors work, and shares a few well-known people in the field. With colorful illustrations and simple information, this book is a great pick for kids who are curious about unusual careers and love ice cream."

"I love this book so much. It's full of so many sweet and interesting facts! I especially loved the section about famous ice cream flavor inventors in history and the section of fun facts."

"This book is part of the ‘So You Want To Be A…’ series written for young readers of approximately 10-14 years. The author’s intention is to “write something closer to a conversation than a career guide”. So this book is an easy read for young readers, offering a look into a world they might wish to explore.

In this book, kids will learn about ice cream, how taste works, why your nose is important, creativity, different flavours, and how inventing ice cream can be a career. This book also explores the science behind ice cream, but does so in a kid-friendly way that makes it an interesting read while still appealing to kids. There are also vibrant illustrations throughout the book that complement the writing. The placement of these illustrations breaks up the text well, which is great for attention span.

So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor is a great book for kids interested in ice cream making. It never talks down to young readers and engages their curiosity seriously while opening up a new, colourful world for them. This is a great book!"

"I love these series. I learn so much from them as a mom reading them to my kids. They are done so well."

"This is part of the 'So you want to be a......' series, written for kids, but definitely not in a 'cutesy toned down babyish' way!!!

The science of taste is explained in a kid friendly but perfectly detailed way, discussing flavor chemistry and sensory science in a creative way with colorful and engaging illustrations.

Loved the jelly bean test, and actually tried it at home! (Hint.....truly tasting involves more than just your mouth and tongue! Your NOSE provides 80% of flavor perception.....who knew?!?!)

Learned that real skill isn't a sweet tooth....it's paying attention!"

"How fun! You don't think of all that goes in to creating ice cream flavors. Smell, texture, time, the science, the teamwork, listening, and the challenge of many failures before success. Very unique job, fun and rewarding."

"Children are the best at curiosity and experiments. What better way to have children spread their wings with the most popular kid-friendly food known as ice cream. Linda Soules crafted a marvelous blueprint combined with tamed honesty in describing how flavors are not just about taste but signs your mind builds from using all your senses. I love the colorful pictures and how Soules breaks down piece by piece how children can create their very own ice cream flavor. Let the creations flow."

"Linda Soules' book is an evocative children’s book that translates the behind-the-scenes of the book and not just inventing ice cream flavours. The author shows the aspect of becoming an ice cream inventor but inspires kids or rather creates the curiosity well enough for them to become the creator or the scientist behind it.

With an approachable and considerate tone, the book explains the science of taste with simple examples and presents them in a way that children can understand. The interesting facts are accompanied by explanations such as how color may alter the way the brain perceives flavor or how cold temperatures mask sweetness."

"An excellent book that combines great artwork, cultural diversity in the artwork, and scientific information. Gives great insight to the pros and cons of the job, fun facts, and even “legends” of ice cream creators. The age range listed was very appropriate. Loved how they gave additional resources, fun ideas and web resources! All in all, a fantastic book!"

"This book was surprisingly great read for youngsters! The artwork is cute, the sentence structure is simple for kids to read, nothing too complicated. I was surprised by how educational the book was. I had been expecting just a silly picture book with a cute story, but this book is fun and educational.

It teaches young readers about a career even I have never heard of. The style of this book is a great platform to write about other types of careers."

"I love this series! This book definitely goes into a lot of detail of what it means to be an ice cream flavor inventor. With parts like the tools of the trade and a day in the life, a child is sure to grow in their ice cream knowledge! For me, I learned that the tongue only tastes five basic flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory. The nose does all the rest! Informative read!"

"This was for a friend’s daughter who LOVES ice cream! I peeked through it before I gave it to her and what I read was pretty cool! You don’t think about how much work goes into some jobs that seem like they would be extremely easy. She loved the book by the way!"

"This is a cute, fun, and informative story about how new ice cream flavors are created. I read it with my granddaughter. We really enjoyed it."

"I had no idea this was a real career. This job could be so fun. Even the hardest parts of the job don’t seem so bad. I love how this book explains the steps to how ice cream is created."

"This book is a great read for any ice cream lover! It explains all about inventing new ice cream flavors. It explains how flavor inventors spend their days, what tools they use, what qualities as a person you need to invent new flavors. It also has some fun facts about ice cream! This was a treat to read."

"This book has both great pictures and in-depth writing all about what a person does who develops ice cream. It is perfect for ages 10-12, plus or minus a couple of years."

"Where was this in career day! Cute book and great graphics. Now I want to try flavors of ice cream."

"Great book! Great pictures! Great series of books. Good for all ages! I love ice cream so this one is perfect for me!"