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Pogo Books let children practice International copyright reserved in all countries.
reading informational text while No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher.
introducing them to nonfiction
Jump! is a division of FlutterBee Education Group.
features such as headings, labels,
sidebars, maps, and diagrams, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
as well as a table of contents, Names: Vonder Brink, Tracy, author.
glossary, and index. Title: How does cheese curdle? / by Tracy Vonder Brink.
Description: Minneapolis, MN: Jump!, Inc., [2026]
Series: Cooking chemistry | Includes index.
Carefully leveled text with Audience: Ages 7–10
a strong photo match offers Identifiers: LCCN 2025000585 (print)
LCCN 2025000586 (ebook)
early fluent readers the support ISBN 9798892138345 (hardcover)
they need to succeed. ISBN 9798892138352 (paperback)
ISBN 9798892138369 (ebook)
Before Reading Subjects: LCSH: Cheesemaking—Juvenile literature.
Cheese—Juvenile literature.
Milk—Curdling—Juvenile literature.
• “Walk” through the book and Classification: LCC SF271 .V659 2026 (print)
point out the various nonfiction LCC SF271 (ebook)
DDC 637/.3—dc23/eng/20250219
features. Ask the student what LC record available at [Link]
purpose each feature serves. LC ebook record available at [Link]
• Look at the glossary together. Editor: Katie Chanez
Designer: Anna Peterson
Read and discuss the words.
Photo Credits: SergeyZavalnyuk/iStock, cover;
During Reading Sastom007/Shutterstock, 1; Mix Tape/Shutterstock, 3;
Olgysha/Shutterstock, 4; Rafa Jodar/iStock, 5 (foreground);
• Have the child read the book Aleksey Gromov/iStock, 5 (background); Lysenko Andrii/
Shutterstock, 6; Esperanza33/iStock, 7; Oleksandr
independently. Yakoniuk/Shutterstock, 8–9; RESTOCK images/
Shutterstock, 10; Artemidovna/iStock, 10–11 (cheese);
• Invite them to list questions SlayStorm/iStock, 10–11 (pepper); wanderluster/
that arise from reading. iStock, 12–13; CasarsaGuru/iStock, 14–15; JGA/
Shutterstock, 16–17; Diane Labombarbe/iStock,
After Reading 18 (recipe card); Tanya Sid/Shutterstock, 18 (salt);
AlenKadr/Shutterstock, 18 (lemon juice); Artiom
Photo/Shutterstock, 18 (milk); Katie Chanez, 19–21;
• Discuss the child’s questions. Africa Studio/Shutterstock, 23.
Talk about how they might find
Printed in the United States of America at
answers to those questions. Corporate Graphics in North Mankato, Minnesota.
• Prompt the child to think more.
Ask: Have you ever thought
about how cheese is made?
What other questions do
you have about cheese?
CHAPTER 1
Made from Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CHAPTER 2
Cheese Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 6
CHAPTER 3
Let’s Make Cheese!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
ACTIVITIES & TOOLS
Try This! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
To Learn More. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MADE FROM
MILK
There are many kinds of cheeses.
Some are hard and crumbly.
Others are soft and creamy.
Each kind tastes different.
The main ingredient in cheese
is milk. Cow milk is used most
often. Some cheeses are made
with milk from other animals.
Goat milk, sheep milk, and even
moose milk can become cheese!
CHEESE SCIENCE
Milk is sent to a creamery. Starter is
added to the milk. Starters are made
of good bacteria . Different starters
are used to make different cheeses.
starter
Milk has fat, proteins , sugars, and water.
Starter changes the milk’s sugars into acid .
The acid makes the milk curdle, or separate
into clumps.
Rennet is also added. It helps the
proteins stick together. This makes
them solid. The solid clumps are
called curds. The leftover liquid
is called whey.
curd
whey
Rennet helps curdle milk. How? Take a look!
Milk proteins and fat float Each protein clump has hairlike
in water. parts. They keep the clumps
from sticking together.
PROTEIN
FAT
Rennet takes off the hairlike The proteins stick together.
parts. Curds form.
RENNET CURD
A cheesemaker takes the curds
out of the whey. They add salt and
other ingredients to the curds.
For example, peppers are added
to make pepper jack cheese.
Cheesemakers sometimes add mold to
curds! The mold is safe to eat. It changes
the flavor. The mold gives the cheese
blue spots. Because of this, it is called
blue cheese.
blue cheese
pepper jack
cheese
cheese
mold
The curds go into a cheese mold.
A mold gives a cheese its shape.
Some are round. Others are
rectangular.
A machine presses the mold.
This squeezes out more whey.
It also makes the cheese firm .
Whey has a lot of protein.
Leftover whey is often
used to make protein
bars and powders.
cheese
press
aging cheese
Some cheeses are aged after they
are pressed. The bacteria break
down sugars in the cheese. This
makes the flavor stronger. Cheeses
may age for weeks. Some age for
years! Then the cheeses are ready
to enjoy!
Cottage cheese and cream
cheese are soft cheeses.
They are not pressed
or aged. They are made
with acid. They often
do not have rennet.
LET’S MAKE
CHEESE!
Cottage cheese can be made with an
acid like lemon juice. You can make it!
All you need are three ingredients and
an adult’s help. Let’s try!
Pour the milk
into a large pot.
Have an adult
heat the milk.
Cook until
bubbles form.
Stir the milk.
Slowly add lemon
juice one tablespoon
(15 milliliters) at a
time. Keep stirring.
Stop adding lemon
juice when the milk
starts to clump.
Stir for three to
four more minutes.
Have an adult pour
the milk mixture
through a strainer
or colander with
a cheesecloth over
a bowl. This will
catch the curds.
Gently press the
curds with a spoon
to squeeze out the
rest of the liquid.
Put the curds in a
bowl. Add a pinch
of salt. Let the
cottage cheese
cool. Enjoy!
MAKE YOUR OWN CHEESE
Vinegar is an acid. It can be used to make cheese. Try making soft,
crumbly cheese with this fun activity!
What You Need:
• ½ gallon (1.9 L) of whole milk
• ¼ cup (60 mL) of white vinegar
• salt
• large pot
• spoon
• baking thermometer
• cheesecloth or other thin fabric
• mesh strainer or colander
• bowl
• plastic wrap
Pour the milk in a large pot.
Have an adult heat the milk on a stovetop until it reaches
195 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius). Stir constantly.
Add the vinegar. Stir for 30 seconds. Then let it sit for
10 minutes.
Add a pinch of salt.
Put the cheesecloth or other thin fabric into the strainer or
colander. Place the strainer or colander over a bowl. Pour the
milk mixture into it. Let it strain for one hour.
Pat the cheese into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place
it in the fridge until it is chilled.
acid: A substance with a sour taste ingredient: An item used to make
that reacts to a base to form a salt. something.
aged: Set aside for a period of time. mold: A fungus that grows on food
bacteria: Microscopic, single-celled or things that are warm and moist.
living things that exist everywhere. proteins: Nutrients that are found
creamery: A place where butter in all living things and are necessary
and cheese are made. for life.
firm: Solid. rennet: A substance found in the
stomach of animals that is used
flavor: Taste. to make cheese.
acid 7, 17, 18 milk 5, 6, 7, 9, 18, 19, 20
aged 17 mold 10
animals 5 proteins 7, 8, 9, 14
bacteria 6, 17 rennet 8, 9, 17
cheesemaker 10 salt 10, 18, 21
cheese mold 13, 14 soft cheeses 4, 17
creamery 6 starter 6, 7
curds 8, 9, 10, 13, 20, 21 sugars 7, 17
fat 7, 9 water 7, 9
ingredient 5, 10, 18 whey 8, 10, 14
Finding more information is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Go to [Link]
Enter “cheese” into the search box.
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