Have you ever tasted a Hershey chocolate bar? Milton Hershey’s chocolate bars are famous around the world, but it wasn’t an easy path to turn his idea into a reality. Readers will love learning the story behind the name as they follow along with Milton’s beginnings as a family farmer, his string of failed candy businesses, and his eventual massive success.

This guided reading book is about a farmer, then failed businessman, to finally a successful candy bar manufacturer. Kids can connect to the theme of trial and error and share their love for chocolate at the same time. ( )

Milton Hershey’s Sweet Idea- A Chocolate Kingdom informs readers of the story behind Milton Hershey’s success. In the first pages of the book, the reader learns that Milton Hershey was born on a Pennsylvania farm in 1857, at age fourteen he started working at a candy shop in Lancaster, and at age eighteen, he opened his first candy shop in Philadelphia. As the story continues, readers learn that after six years, Milton had to close his shop because he was not making enough money. He then moved to Denver, Colorado where he got a job with another candy-maker. There, he learned a new way of making caramels. After several years of living in Colorado, Milton borrowed money from his family and moved to New York City. He tried again to open his own shop, but it too went out of business. In 1886, Milton returned to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Milton asked his aunt for financial help because he wanted to use the skills he had learned in Denver to make caramels. His aunt agreed to help him, and he started the Lancaster Caramel Company. Every day, he would walk several miles to a dairy farm to pick up fresh milk for his caramels. By the 1890’s caramels had made Milton a millionaire. In 1893, Milton attended the World’s Fair and saw a display of chocolate-making machines from Germany. He bought the equipment and decided that from that point on he was going to make chocolate. Readers then learn how Milton’s Hershey factory came to be. In 1900, he sold the caramel company for one million dollars and then bought a large piece of land in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. In 1903, he started building his giant chocolate factory. While his factory was being built, he made plans for a model town nearby. He wanted his workers a place to live. He laid out streets and built houses, schools, and parks. Hershey, Pennsylvania was born. In an afterword, readers learn that Milton and his wife, Kitty, were unable to have children of their own, so they used part of their fortune to open a school for orphaned boys. They also learn that Milton died in 1945, at age 88, and that the Hershey Company employs more than 13,000 people around the world. In the back of the book there is a list of additional resources (books and websites) where readers can learn more about Milton Hershey. ( )