Sody Sallyratus [Hardcover]

Teri Sloat (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

When an old woman promises her family bisquits and sends her little boy down to the store to fetch some baking soda, he is confronted by a hungry bear and vanishes, and as other family members are sent out and disappear one by one, their pet squirrel decides to see exactly what is going on.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this tall tale, members of an Appalachian family try to obtain some sody sallyratus, "which is what they used to call bakin' soda," so they can make biscuits. One by one, a boy, girl, old man and old woman tramp over hill and dale to the general store; each stops to nibble berries and gets eaten by a hungry bear. The sole remaining family member, a pet squirrel, must outmaneuver the bear and rescue the foursome. (It's a happy ending for all-the bear runs off after spitting out the folks.) Sloat (The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown) affects a hillbilly twang in her lively narration; her version is truer to the original (in Richard Chase's 1948 Grandfather Tales) than the spirited retelling offered by Joanne and Kenn Compton in their 1995 Sody Sallyratus. Sloat's version features detail-rich illustrations that fill every inch of space. The artist sets the mood with a cornucopia of autumnal colors against parchment-tone backdrops, then frames the scenery with borders of lashed-together saplings. On the closing page, there's even a biscuit recipe-and though it takes a while to stir the batter "till the dough follows the fork 'round the bowl," the results are as toothsome as the tale. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3. In a return to the traditional after a recent incarnation as a Jack tale in Joanne Compton's retelling (Holiday, 1995), this hardy perennial of the storytellers' repertoire has its singsong back. The family?old man, old woman, little girl, little boy and the squirrel?found in Richard Chase's Grandfather Tales (Houghton, 1973)?is intact, as is the ditty, "Sody, sody, sody sallyratus." The gist of the story is that the old woman can't make biscuits because she's out of sody sallyratus (baking soda), and one by one, each character goes to fetch it and is swallowed by a bear. When even the old woman fails to return, the squirrel sets off, tricks the bear, who disgorges the family and they all return home for breakfast. Sloat deals more gently with the bear than did tellers of old. The appeal of the story is its wonderful repetition and rhythm that can lure even the shyest listener into chanting along. The folksy, autumnal drawings create a mountainside settlement filled with cheerful rawboned people, curiously irritable animals, and whimsical flora. Text is set off by twig-and-leaf frames. The last page contains a biscuit recipe and a note about the many uses of baking soda. The simplicity and repetition of the story make it good for young groups. Its driving inevitability makes it the sort of tale that draws novice tellers; its continuing appeal is affirmed by the two recent picture book treatments?and the success of both approaches affirms the elasticity of the oral tradition.?Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525456090
• ISBN-13: 978-0525456094
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars ., May 15, 2010

By 

Ulyyf "Connie" (NYC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sody Sallyratus (Hardcover)

This is apparently a traditional folk talk, although it may not be one you're familiar with.

A woman wants to make some baking soda (sody sallyratus) biscuits, so she sends all three of her family members to the store, one after the other. And they all get eaten by the bear while picking berries, one after the other. And then she goes and gets eaten too!

Oh no!

Luckily, the little pet squirrel is on the job! He tricks the bear into chasing him up a thin tree, and when the bear crashes to the ground everybody is freed and they get their biscuits after all. (Yay.)

So we have a story with a bouncy rhythm, a bit of scary bear-ness, and a happy ending. Gotta love it :)

5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time favorite story of mine, September 7, 2007

By 

Kim (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sody Sallyratus (Hardcover)

I first heard the Sody Sallyratus story told by a storyteller who came to the preschool where I teach, and I was hooked. I quickly learned the story so that I could also retell it, and I have always found it to be a hit with every child I've told it to. When I found this version of the story in the library, I was delighted. While it's a wonderful story for telling "from my head", the gorgeous illustrations in this book, the nice ending where the bear runs away, and the inclusion of the sody sallyratus song that really makes the story (and which children will chant to themselves long after hearing the story), all make this book one that I definitely want in my library.

After checking it out from the library more times than I can count, I am finally buying my own copy.

5.0 out of 5 stars A bemused audience, December 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sody Sallyratus (Hardcover)

I selected this book for Pre-school Storytime and for class tours at the public library. The children loved the down home atmosphere of the story and listened in wide-eyed, open-mouthed silence until they joined in on "up popped the big brown bear."
The ending is ingenious, the pictures lovely and it was a blast to read aloud. I will definitely make this a mainstay of my read-aloud library.