Reading With Your Kids Podcast

Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman sit down with co-host Cassandra Maisonet to celebrate their inspiring #PictureBook Ice Cream Man. The authors tell Cassandra that the book tells the inspiring story of Augustus Jackson, an African American entrepreneur who is known as "the father of ice cream." Augustus Jackson was born in 1808 in Philadelphia. While most African Americans were enslaved at that time, in Pennsylvania, slavery was against the law. But while Augustus and his family were free, they were poor. Augustus enjoyed helping his mom prepare meals for their family. He dreamed of becoming a professional cook, and when his mom suggested he may be able to make meals for the president one day, Augustus didn’t waste any time in making that dream a reality. In 1820, when he was only twelve years old, he set off for Washington, DC. He applied to work in the White House, where the head cook offered him a job as a kitchen helper. After five years of working hard, Augustus, or Gus, was promoted to cook. He went on to s