Pumpkin Soup - Helen Cooper

I have been known to give away books you know. Yes, it’s true, are you shocked? Don’t be because it’s never too many – it’s rather hard to part with them don’t you think? I’ve been attempting a sort through of books again with the intention of giving some away. It was bad but not too bad. They weren’t my books you see; they were my children’s. I did sort out a few that we Murphy’s can bear to part with but, as usual, not as many as I should have. I’ve got a large extended family and I do try to pass down things to the smaller children coming along behind mine. Toys, clothes – ...  Read the complete review

It might seem a strange combination, but a bagpiping Cat, a Squirrel with a banjo and a small singing Duck live together, seemingly in harmony, in a little house in a wood. We first see them through the window, have great fun together. Their diet consists mainly of pumpkin soup - homemade, of course. Each has a particular task in the process: Cat slices the pumpkin, Squirrel stirs in the water and Duck tips in just enough salt. This never changes. There appears to be domestic bliss as they slurp their soup, play their song and cuddle up in bed with a quilt made by a joint effort. But the fact that duck still has his eyes open in bed gives us a clue that there ...  Read the complete review

Pumpkin Soup is a truly classic children's book: A touching story, good for both readers and listeners, and beautifully illustrated. It tells the story of three friends, Duck, Squirrel and Cat. Each evening they work together to make their Pumpkin Soup. Cat always cuts up the pumpkin, Squirrel always stirs the soup, and Duck always adds the salt - and the soup is always delicious. But one evening Duck decides he'd much rather be stirring than adding the salt, which causes an argument, and he runs off into the woods. Soup without salt, and without the contribution of their friend is a miserable prospect, so the other two set out to find Duck, and bring ...  Read the complete review

***The Background*** Helen Cooper is the author behind this wonderful book and has also written a couple of other books about the friends we see here. This book was a winner of the Kate Greenaway medal and has been delighting children for the last 10 years. As well as picture books, Helen Cooper also writes books for slightly older children too. ***The Story*** The story begins with a picture of a strange white cabin in the middle of a wood. The cabin has a warm glow from the window and you can see shadows of a Cat bagpiping, a Squirrel playing a banjo and a little Duck singing. The friends love to make Pumpkin ...  Read the complete review

What do you get when you put a curmudgeonly, bagpipe-playing Cat, a thoughtful Squirrel and an over-excitable Duck together in an old white cabin in the middle of a deep dark forest, to live off nothing but pumpkin soup? Especially when the Duck upsets the well-established order and wants to have a go at stirring the soup: which is usually the Squirrel's job... Tempers fray, fur and feathers fly, Duck stomps off in an almighty huff... Sounds just like a recipe for the next series of 'I'm a Celebrity..." The very different characters of these three unlikely friends shine through from the very first page of Helen Cooper's exquisite picture book. The text ...  Read the complete review