Blue Corn Soup

By: Caroline Stutson
Illustrated by: Teri Weidner
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Date: August 2017
ISBN: 978-1585369676
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: September 2017

What's better than sharing a bowl of homemade soup with friends on a cold winter day? In this adorable new book, the message of sharing your bounty with others comes across loud and clear while also telling a fun story.

It's cold, the wind is blowing, and Mouse decides to make "Blue Corn Soup" to help warm her tummy. She'll grind some corn and make just enough "sopa..." for "...one small mouse." Mouse tastes the soup and decides something is missing.

Mouse adds pepper, chop, chop, chop,
into the sopa with a plop.
Just enough for one small mouse
staying warm inside her house.

Mouse works hard, adding various ingredients to make her sopa extra tasty. As the meal cooks, the aroma drifts through the woods and other animals pick up the scent. Soon, Chipmunk, Rabbit, and Old Bear show up at her doorstep, hoping for a bit of the tasty sopa. But there is only enough sopa for one little mouse. What will they do?

The author of Blue Corn Soup, the late Caroline Stutson, was a talented author with a great gift for rhyming. She displayed that gift in telling this story, and the gently flowing words add a soft and welcoming feel to the story. It has a slight repetitive nature, with Mouse going "chop, chop, chop" every time she adds a new ingredient, and the aromatic smoke drifting through the woods each time a new ingredient is added. This repetition will be enjoyed by young children as they follow along with Mouse and her friends. The illustrations, in soft, subdued winter colors, add the perfect feel to the story. As a bonus, the recipe for "Blue Corn Soup" is included in the back of the book.

Quill says: An adorable and delightful tale of sharing that should be in every child's book collection.