So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor (So You Want To Be A...)
About
What does it really take to invent a brand-new ice cream flavor?
It looks like the easiest job in the world. Just taste ice cream all day, right? But inventing the perfect scoop is one of the most delicious science jobs there is, and this book takes curious kids all the way inside it.
So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor follows a real flavor inventor from the first spark of an idea to the seventh tasting cup, and the seventieth, on the patient road to one unforgettable flavor. Along the way, young readers discover how taste actually works, why the nose does most of the tasting, why cold hides sweetness, and why most new flavors fail before one finally clicks.
Packed with true facts kids will repeat to everyone:
- Vanilla is the world’s most popular flavor and the second most expensive spice on Earth, and a twelve-year-old boy once helped make it possible.
- A scoop in the “wrong” color actually tastes worse to our brains.
- There’s a real ice cream graveyard in Vermont, where retired flavors get tombstones.
- One famous taster’s tongue was insured for a million dollars.
More than a career guide, this is an invitation to wonder. It’s honest about the hard parts, generous with the joys, and beautifully illustrated on every page. Best of all, it shows kids exactly how to begin, from simple kitchen experiments to the science classes and skills that lead to real careers in food science, flavor chemistry, and the culinary arts.
Part of the So You Want To Be A... series, which treats children as the capable, curious thinkers they are, with one book for every dream.
A perfect gift for curious kids ages 10–14, and a favorite for classrooms, libraries, and homeschool. Whether your reader dreams of inventing flavors or simply loves the magic of a really good treat, this is a book they’ll pick up again and again.
Taste everything. Invent it.
Praise for this book
"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."