Hammer Soup [Hardcover]

Dieter Schubert (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Kate lives in a nice, tidy little house and keeps busy doing chores, but she's not exactly friendly. When Bruce decides to build a home next door, all that banging infuriates her. He offers her dandelion tea, but she says no. How about fishing? No! Soon winter is upon them. While Kate is warm and well fed in her home, Bruce is shivering and hungry in his shack. How the two eventually bond over Bruce's unusual "hammer soup" makes for an enchanting, vividly drawn tale of unexpected friendship and the joy of sharing.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Through a combination of classic themes and wonderfully detailed, quirky watercolors, this oft-told tale comes to life. Hardworking Kate is neat and tidy, and her garden is well tended, but she does not like to share. Bruce the giant builds a lopsided, rickety shack next door, and he would much rather spend his time fishing and playing than getting ready for winter. When the harsh weather comes, his house is blown away and he loses everything. Kate opens her house to him, but with the reminder that he may not share her food. His solution is to make soup from water, salt, and a hammer. He says it would be delicious if he only had some nails and bolts, but sausage and vegetables could be used in a pinch (sound familiar?). Children will delight in the whimsical illustrations as well as in the humor of this book; although the story would be a great read-aloud, the details in the paintings beg to be pored over up close.–Genevieve Gallagher, Orange County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. A clever variation on Stone Soup / Nail Soup, this Dutch import hits the nail squarely on the head. "Kate kept a tidy house and a weeded garden and she never shared her vegetables with anyone!" Then an unkempt giant, Bruce, builds a ramshackle house next door. Kate is disdainful of his dandelion tea (it's just weeds) and of his invitation to go fishing, replying that he should do something useful instead. When a raging storm blows his atrocious house away, Kate brings Bruce home, admonishing him not to eat her food. "Of course not," he replies, offering to make hammer soup, which needs nails and bolts--though he allows that her sausages and carrots will do. The artwork is sprightly and colorful, filled with amusing details, including a cat and a dog that play comical roles in the background. The visual contrast between Kate (in a tall, yellow hat; tights; and a long, black braid), and much larger, messier Bruce effectively demonstrates that sometimes opposites can become friends. Endpapers decorated with vegetables and an occasional tool add an appropriate note of whimsy. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lemniscaat USA; Translated, Illustrated edition (April 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932425020
• ISBN-13: 978-1932425024
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,676 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 Lovely New Children's Book With A Great Message, October 29, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hammer Soup (Hardcover)

Kate is very picky about her home. She always makes sure that it is nice and tidy. However, she's not the friendliest person in the world. Especially once a man named Bruce decides to build a house for himself right next door to Kate's. His incessant banging and hammering infuriates Kate, and makes her despise Bruce on sight. Even his many offers for dandelion tea, or a day of fishing infuriate her. But when winter springs up, Bruce is shivering in his shack, while Kate is cozy in her cottage. Soon Bruce's shack blows away, and Kate, being a kind neighbor invites him to share her cottage, where they bond over a strange delicacy that Bruce has learned to make, known as hammer soup.

Ingrid & Dieter Schubert have done an amazing job with HAMMER SOUP. Their lovely prose will teach young readers that you should try to get along with someone before you judge them, and the wonderfully, colorful illustrations bring that message to life, especially when depicting Bruce's dog and Kate's cat becoming friends. All in all this is a wonderful new children's book that conveys a lovely message.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated story similar to stone soup, December 18, 2007

By 

Kenza Temsamani "book addict" (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hammer Soup (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite books. The pictures are beautiful and the story teaches understanding.