. Children's Books About Soup Seriously Soupy

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Children's Books About Soup

What I really love about this soup making experience is getting to share it with my family as I test out new recipes and experiment with new flavors. I also love how excited my daughter gets when I create a new soup. Although she doesn't eat the soups (still working on that), she loves helping me add spices and mix up the water (before the flame is turned on). The attention span ends around there but it is still amazing that she is learning about different smells, tastes, and new flavors. Another way to teach children about soups and food is through books. After discovering the classic Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert, I was inspired to find more soup books for budding cooks. Here are some of my picks:


 1. Growing Vegetable Soup - A recent find from the library, Lois Ehlert's story cleverly shows how soup starts as a seed. Beginning as an idea between a Dad and his child, Growing Vegetable Soup  explains how seeds are planted, watered, and taken care of until they grow into vegetables. Finally, they pick and dig the vegetables and make a soup together. I love the concept of growing food and how that experience is shared among a parent and his child. The story also ends with a vegetable soup recipe by Peggy Daum.




2. Stone Soup - The classic folktale about how a kid tricks an older woman into making him a bowl of soup with a stone. Starting by asking for water and then meat, vegetables and butter, the stone soup grows into a hearty bowl of soup. This version by Ann Mcgovern is considerably shorter and is designed for children 4 through 8 years old.




3. Little Critter: Snowball Soup - As a part of the Little Critter series, this book follows how Little Critter, Little Sister, and their Dog make soup for their snowman. Written by Mercer Mayer, Little Critter: Snowball Soup is designed for kids 3 to 6 years old.

4. Campbell Kids Alphabet Soup - Featuring advertising art from the Campbell's soup company, the book is not just about soups but a fun ABC book featuring art from over 100 years ago. The colorful illustrations are also fun for older readers to share with their grandchildren aged 4 to 8.


5. Alphabet Soup - A book designed for children in the second grade, Alphabet Soup follows otter (the new kid) who invites his friends to his house for a soup party. They all bring ingredients from A to Z that are added to a communal pot as they create a massive bowl of soup.

What children's books featuring soups have you read?
Seriously Soupy Serena

7 comments:

  1. Great group of cookbooks for kids! I'd add Molly Katzen's Pretend Soup, even though it's not entirely a soup cookbook.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Lydia. I didn't know about that one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There are some lovely children's books there! I remember the folklore about 'stone soup' from my own childhood!!
    I think any stories that can encourage children to try out new flavours are wonderful!:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Nessa,

    I completely agree with that. There are so many exciting children's books that encourage cooking and healthy eating. I'm keeping my eye out for more soup books like this!

    Serena

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ava loves to help in the kitchen too - it often helps encourage her to try the meals. She hated tomatoes until she picked one off of our plant this past summer... every little thing helps. I'm curious about that first book - might have to get it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sasha,

    It's true - my daughter is finally eating some greens after being exposed to the idea of cooking them herself.

    I highly recommend the first one. The illustrations are also beautiful and tell a simple, but timeless story of how vegetables start from a seed. We got ours at our local library.

    Serena

    ReplyDelete