Chocolate Fever facts for kids

Chocolate Fever is a fun children's story written by Robert Kimmel Smith. It was first published in 1972. The book tells the exciting adventure of a boy who loves chocolate a little too much!

The Story of Henry Green

Henry's Chocolate Obsession

The main character in the story is a young boy named Henry Green. Henry absolutely loves chocolate. He eats it every single day! He even puts chocolate on unusual foods, like mashed potatoes and noodles. His parents don't worry because it doesn't seem to make him sick.

A Strange Rash Appears

One day at school, Henry starts to feel weird. He notices small brown spots appearing on his arms. He shows his teacher, Mrs. Kimmelfarber, who first thinks they are just freckles. But then, the spots pop up on his face too! Mrs. Kimmelfarber quickly takes Henry to Nurse Farthing, the school nurse.

Chocolate Lumps and a Big Discovery

Nurse Farthing sees that Henry has a strange rash. She can't figure out what it is. Both the teacher and the nurse also notice a faint smell of chocolate in the air. Suddenly, the small brown spots on Henry's skin start to grow into bigger, lumpy shapes. They look just like chocolate chips and even make a popping sound! Very worried, Nurse Farthing rushes Henry to the hospital.

The Doctor's Diagnosis

At the hospital, Dr. Fargo examines Henry. He sends a sample from one of the lumps to the lab for testing. Just as Dr. Fargo smells the chocolate, the lab calls back with amazing news. Henry's lumps are made of "100% pure chocolate"! Dr. Fargo announces that Henry is the first person ever to have "chocolate fever." He plans to share his discovery with the whole world.

Henry's Escape and New Friends

Henry is scared and doesn't like being treated like a science experiment. So, he runs away from the hospital! The hospital staff and police chase him, but Henry manages to escape. He decides to run away from home too, because he's afraid to face Dr. Fargo again. Later, he meets some older boys who try to bully him. Henry cleverly tells them that his chocolate fever is a very contagious and deadly disease. The bullies get scared and let him go.

A Ride with Mac

That night, Henry is very tired. He crawls into the sleeping area of a semi-trailer truck. He wakes up when the truck driver, Mac, starts driving. Mac finds Henry, and they share a meal together. Mac tells Henry that his parents are probably very worried. He offers to drive Henry back home.

An Unexpected Adventure

But then, two criminals named Lefty and Louie suddenly stop the truck. They think Mac is carrying valuable furs. They are surprised to find that the truck is actually full of chocolate bars! Now, with two unexpected people, the crooks take Mac and Henry to their secret hideout. They tie them up while they try to figure out what to do next.

The Dogs to the Rescue

Luckily, a group of dogs had been following Henry's chocolate smell. They burst into the hideout! This distracts Lefty and Louie. Mac quickly frees himself and grabs the criminals' guns. Soon after, the police arrive and arrest the bad guys.

The Cure for Chocolate Fever

Mac and Henry continue their journey to the candy company to deliver the chocolate bars. They call Henry's parents from there. The owner of the candy company, Alfred "Sugar" Cane, recognizes Henry's strange illness. He explains that the only way to cure chocolate fever is to eat the opposite of chocolate: vanilla. Mr. Cane gives Henry a small box of vanilla pills. He explains that when he was a boy, he also ate too much chocolate and got chocolate fever. Mr. Cane still loves chocolate, but he learned to enjoy it in moderation, which means not too much.

A New Taste and a Lesson Learned

The next morning, Henry is back home and feels much better. The brown spots are gone! He joins his family for breakfast. He learns that Mr. Cane, Mac, Nurse Farthing, and Dr. Fargo all called to check on him. When his mom offers him chocolate syrup on his french toast, Henry remembers the lesson about moderation. He decides to skip the syrup and uses cinnamon instead. Henry is so happy with the taste of cinnamon that he starts thinking about other foods that might taste better with it. Then, he wonders if there could ever be such a thing as "cinnamon fever"!

Animated Adaptation

On May 18, 1985, an animated cartoon based on Chocolate Fever was shown on the CBS Storybreak TV show. This cartoon was also released on video by Playhouse Video.