ICE CREAM MAN: HOW AUGUSTUS JACKSON MADE A SWEET TREAT BETTER

Guest Post by Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman

Ice Cream! Ice Cream! Quite a treat. Come smile awhile and beat the heat!

Ice Cream has been bringing smiles to people from all walks of life for years. But very few people knew who was responsible for making this sweet treat what it is today.

Until now.

We, Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman, co-authored the picture book, ICE CREAM MAN: HOW AUGUSTUS JACKSON MADE A SWEET TREAT BETTER (Crown Books, Jan. 17, 2023).

The biography introduces readers to the man known as the Father of Ice Cream.

ICE CREAM MAN takes readers back to a time when this sweet dessert was a luxury enjoyed only by the wealthy. The story follows Augustus Jackson, an African American born free during slavery, as he pursues his dream of making ice cream available to everyone. Readers learn how Augustus Jackson, despite his humble beginnings, rose to become a White House cook, a creative problem solver, and a successful entrepreneur.

There is very little written about Augustus Jackson. We could find no books dedicated to him. So we had to do our research in a roundabout way. Kim came across his name when she was researching the history of ice cream. We read everything we could find online. We found old newspaper articles about ice cream and ice cream parlors that mention him, often just in passing. Kim interviewed the owner of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, The Franklin Fountain, and the archive librarian of a group called The Ice Screamers. We came across a book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet by Adrian Miller, that talks about Augustus Jackson’s time at the White House. Although some questions were left unanswered, with these various sources, we were able to piece together Jackson’s life and write our picture book, which was so beautifully illustrated by Keith Mallett.

Augustus Jackson had the self-confidence, creativity, and agency to overcome the obstacles faced by a free-born black man in pre-Civil War America. And not only was he an inventor and entrepreneur, he also worked as cook in the White house, serving under three presidents!

To make the book even sweeter, we included a fun and easy recipe so that readers can make their own ice cream. During our author visits, we sometimes include an ice cream making activity based on the recipe in our book. This activity has been a hit with all age groups.

We hope that children will enjoy learning a little about the history of ice cream and how it is made. We believe that readers will be inspired by an atypical story about an African American historical figure. Augustus Jackson is a different kind of hero. He didn’t play sports or lead a movement. Instead, he innovated a way to making ice cream faster and last long enough to be shipped to faraway locations. He also invented new flavors that we still enjoy today.

Augustus Jackson followed his dream and made life a little sweeter for those he met.

Glenda Armand https://glenda-armand.com/

Kim Freeman https://kimfreeman.us/