"Pumpkin Soup" by Helen Cooper

"Pumpkin Soup" 

by Helen Cooper

32 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: A duck, a cat, and a squirrel all live together in a cabin in the woods. They make soup together and they all have a job to do. Squirrel stirs the soup, cat slices the pumpkin, and duck adds the salt to the pot. Everything is going fine until the duck decides that it wants to stir the soup. Duck carries the stirring spot to squirrel and asks, but squirrel does not want it to stir the soup. They both pull the spoon but it slips out of their hands and hits the cat. They all get in a fight about the soup and the duck decides to leave the house. Cat and squirrel feel bad so they go out and look for the duck. They search for hours but cannot find duck. Approaching the house after their search, they notice duck has come back. They let duck stir the soup but it makes a mess. Everyone is just happy to have each other.

Evaluation: An adorable telling of a group of animal friends that use teamwork to make pumpkin soup. This books explores themes of trying something new, and being accepting of others. Students and teachers can talk about the impact of actions and words and how they affect others. Trying something for the first time and failing is another theme, an important one to discuss with young learners.

Appeal Terms: animal, lively, heartwarming, plot centered, introspective