POPCORN!

Not even Lies’s (Hamlet and the Magnificent Sandcastle, not reviewed, etc.) realistically drawn figures—children, Pilgrims, and a recurring, mischievous raccoon—manage to add much substance to this jokey once-over. After explaining why popcorn pops, Landau, author of dozens of poorly researched nonfiction titles, sweeps past its history in the Americas—“Researchers have found 1000-year-old grains of popcorn. That’s older than anyone you know—including your teacher.” Ha ha. She casts doubt on the claim that it was served at the first Thanksgiving, then traces its modern career from curbside attraction to movie-house staple to household snack. After putting a positive spin on popcorn’s nutritional value without caveats about adding oil, butter, or salt, she closes with a tally of suggested toppings (“Ranch or Italian salad dressing mix”—um, maybe not), a recipe for popcorn balls (but not popcorn soup, which gets only a quick, tantalizing mention earlier on), and skimpy lists of books and Web sites. Padded with weak wisecracks, superficial generalizations, and outright filler, this isn’t about to displace Tomie DePaola’s classic Popcorn Book (1978) as an introduction to one of the world’s most popular recreational foods. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)