Carrot Soup [Hardcover]

John Segal (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2006 | Age Level: 3 and up

Take one rabbit, patiently growing carrots. Add his friends -- Mole, Dog, Cat, Duck, and Pig. Mix all ingredients together for a superdelicious surprise!

But be careful: John Segal's whimsical story and pictures will sneak into your heart, until nothing will satisfy you except more Carrot Soup.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 Rabbit's favorite time of year is spring, when he can plant his garden. He plows, plants, waters, weeds, and waits for his carrots to grow, while looking forward to eating carrot soup. But at harvest time, he finds that all of his beloved plants are gone. As he asks his neighbors if they have seen his produce, each one skillfully avoids answering. In the background, readers see animals holding balloons, wearing party hats, and hauling away bucketloads of carrots. Disappointed, Rabbit returns home to discover that his friends have organized a party and cooked his favorite soup. The book ends with the word Surprise! and it is not clear if Rabbit is pleased or not. However, children will find this tale satisfying in its predictability and will enjoy being in on the secret. The illustrations are rendered in soft-hued watercolors with lots of white space and playful animal caricatures. Segal intermittently uses a storyboard format to convey the progression of the action. Read this tale along with Wilson Gage's Squash Pie (Dell, 1980, o.p.), Ruth Krauss's The Carrot Seed (HarperCollins, 1945), or Vladimir Vagin's The Enormous Carrot (Scholastic, 1998) for a tasty storytime and try the carrot soup recipe at the back, too. Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Here's a springtime book that's great for kids who love planning and doing projects. Rabbit, a very organized animal, loves carrot soup. He spends the long winter paging through carrot catalogs (a full-page spread shows the different colors, shapes, and sizes of eight kinds of carrots). Then he plows and plants, waters and weeds, and waits. Finally it's time to harvest, but when he goes to pick the carrots, they are all gone. He frantically questions all the animals he knows, but not one admits to liking carrots. "Discouraged and disappointed, Rabbit went home," where he discovered a wonderful surprise. The clues are in Segal's stylized pencil and watercolor pictures, and observant children won't have any trouble determining where the carrots went. The delicate springtime greens and browns used in the background contrast nicely with Rabbit's comically expressive face. A recipe for carrot soup provides an appetizing finish. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689877021
• ISBN-13: 978-0689877025
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a little gem, November 24, 2007

By 

A. Hasting (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carrot Soup (Hardcover)

Speech Language Pathologists (OK, and parents too):

This is one of the best books I have found for teaching theory of mind. Even though we can see the animals in the background, hauling carrots, THE RABBIT CAN'T SEE THEM AND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. The rabbit even talks to animals that we have seen with the carrots, so if the child is ready for several perspectives within the book, this makes for an interesting discussion. For example, we see the dog wheeling carrots in the background while the rabbit talks to the mole. On the next page, the rabbit asks the dog if he's seen the carrots (meanwhile, the cat is carrying carrots). We can talk about who knows where the carrots are and who doesn't know. We can even talk about whether the dog probably knows what the cat is doing and why. Mind blowing, I know.

Even more advanced concept: When the rabbit asks where the carrots are, none of the animals tell him, yet none of them lie and say that they don't know. It's quite oblique. You can read into what they're saying. You can talk about their motives. Why would the dog say that he doesn't like carrots and to ask the cat? For many autistic children, the desire to keep a "fun" social secret like a surprise party is unfathomable.

This simple children's book is not so simple. And yet it IS, because it's comprehensible to typical 3-year-olds. I like it more each time I use it in therapy.

p.s. Another great theory of mind picture book is Rosie's Walk, by Pat Hutchins.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It takes a village to make some carrot soup, April 10, 2007

By 

Larry Mark "editor of MyJewishBooks.com" (nyc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carrot Soup (Hardcover)

I never knew there were so many varieties of carrots. Through the book and colorful pictures, a rabbit is trying to plant, nurture, grow, and harvest its carrots. But when harvest time comes, they are gone. As the rabbit visits various other animals in search of the carrots, the reader notices some funny antics in the background, until we reach the surprise ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soup's On!, November 8, 2006

By 

Kelly Herold "Big A little a" (Smalltown, Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carrot Soup (Hardcover)

The hero of John Segal's "Carrot Soup" is obsessed with his garden. In particular, he's obsessed with his carrot crop.

"Carrot Soup" begins in the spring, "Rabbit's favorite season," when Rabbit orders seeds and begins planting. He orders Early Horn, Lunar White, Short 'n' Sweet, Bolero, Thumbelina, Sugarsnax, Paris Market and Autumn King carrots. And to think I thought carrots came in "regular" and "mini" sizes! Children will love Segal's illustrations of the different carrots in all their glory.

Rabbit plants his carrots, takes care of them in the proper way by weeding and plowing and watering. Oh, and waiting. And waiting and waiting and waiting.

When it's time to harvest and make carrot soup, the carrots have disappeared. Rabbit is highly distressed. He darts about asking all the animals in the neighborhood if they've seen his carrots. All's well that ends well, though, and Segal concludes his story with a great recipe for carrot soup.

"Carrot Soup" is an enchanting tale about friendship and hard work--perfect for a garden-themed read aloud. Segal's illustrations are infectious fun and the soup recipe a treat. Enjoy!