The Chocolate Touch facts for kids

The Chocolate Touch is a children's book written by Patrick Skene Catling. It was first published in the United States in 1952. The story is about a boy named John Midas who gets a magical gift. Everything his lips touch turns into chocolate!

This story is inspired by an old Greek myth about King Midas. In that myth, King Midas had a magic touch that turned everything he touched into gold. The first pictures in the book were drawn by Mildred Coughlin McNutt. Later, a new edition came out with pictures by Margot Apple.

The Story of John Midas

John Midas loves candy, especially chocolate, more than anything. He eats so much of it that his family doctor, Dr. Cranium, gets worried. The doctor tells John that he needs to eat healthier foods. He says no more candy for a while.

John's parents agree with the doctor. They throw away all of John's candy. They also take control of his pocket money. John feels very annoyed that his life is being controlled so much. He decides to go for a walk to clear his mind.

A Strange Coin and a New Store

While walking, John finds a shiny coin on the ground. He is happy because he thinks he can secretly buy some chocolate. But when he looks closely at the coin, it's strange. It has a picture of a chubby boy and the letters "JM" on it. John thinks it's a weird, unknown coin.

Still, he notices that "JM" could stand for "John Midas." He decides to keep the unique coin. As he walks, he sees a candy store he has never seen before. The man running the store is also new to John. But the shopkeeper is very friendly. He even knows John's name! He tells John that his chocolate is the best ever.

The candy man offers John a box of his chocolates. All he wants in return is the strange coin John found. That night, John plans to have one last chocolate treat before bed. But he is disappointed. The box only has one plain chocolate ball inside. It doesn't even taste special.

The Chocolate Touch Begins

The next morning, John wakes up to a big surprise. Everything he eats tastes like chocolate! Soon, the magic touch gets even stronger. Whatever touches his mouth turns into chocolate. This means he can't even drink water properly. It all turns into chocolate.

John quickly gets tired of eating only chocolate. He starts to miss normal foods. He dreams of ham sandwiches, chicken, and cherries. For the first time, he prefers healthy food over candy. He realizes his mouth turns everything into chocolate. For example, during band practice, his trumpet turns into a chocolate trumpet!

A Party Disaster and a Doctor's Visit

John's magic touch causes trouble at his friend Susan's birthday party. They play a game where they bob for apples. But John's touch turns all the apples into chocolate sauce. Everyone at the party gets covered in chocolate.

John tells his dad he needs help. His dad thinks John needs help with his diet. So, they go to Dr. Cranium. The doctor gives John a special tonic. But when John tries to drink it, he spits out chocolate syrup and a chocolate spoon! This shows Dr. Cranium John's strange ability.

Dr. Cranium gets excited. He thinks he has discovered a new disease. He calls it "Cranium's disease." John's mom starts to cry when she hears about this "disease." John wants to comfort her, so he tries to give her a kiss. But he accidentally turns his mother into a chocolate statue!

Finding a Solution

Horrified, John runs back to the strange candy store. The chocolate vendor tells him that only greedy people can see the money he spent at the store. John begs the shopkeeper to turn his mom back to normal. He tells the shopkeeper that he understands now. He realizes his parents and the doctor were right about eating healthy. They wanted what was best for him.

Because John has learned his lesson, the shopkeeper promises to fix everything. All the things John turned into chocolate will go back to normal. His friendship with Susan will be okay again. And his parents and Dr. Cranium will not remember anything about the chocolate touch.

John goes home to a quiet house. His mom is back to being a living person. As part of his change, John wants to thank the shopkeeper. He runs back to the candy store. But when he gets there, he finds nothing but an empty lot. The store is gone.

Why This Book Is Important

The Chocolate Touch is still a very popular book today. Many schools in the United States use it to teach children. It has won several awards, including:

• The Massachusetts Children's Book Award in 1989
• The Utah Children's Choice Honors Award in 1983
• The Beehive Award from the Children's Literature Association of Utah in 1983