From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K—Mama Bear's on the way home with a new baby, and middle brother Kevie does his best to help big Josh and Daddy make homecoming Saturday Soup. Teasing ensues when Kevie opens too many cans of beans, uses soap to wash the vegetables, and sneezes into the pot. His insistence on using sugar is deflected until near the end when his culinary talents create the title "Surprise Soup." As his family praises the new taste, Kevie cuddles his new baby brother. Karas's collages of stocky bears keeping house are right on target for enhancing Rodman's cozy story. The variety of compositions and remarkably expressive faces makes this a joyful read-again. The dialogue stays true to family banter and the author peppers the text with the "splip plop splip plop" of turnips and celery falling into the pot and a "blumpetty blurp" of singing soup, making it fun for storytellers, too. This one's a recipe for grins.—
Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
*Starred Review* As the average size of the American family dwindles, so do the number of picture books that portray families with more than two kids. The family in this warm offering certainly isn’t of Cheaper by the Dozen proportions; there are only three children. But it shows a situation that’s surprisingly rare among the raft of books about a new baby’s arrival: the displacement of a middle child. While waiting for Mama to return from the hospital with a new baby, Kevie, an adorable, stumpy bear cub, helps his older brother, Josh, and their dad make a pot of soup. Josh teases Kevie about his kitchen missteps, such as opening too many cans and washing the vegetables with soap. And Kevie feels ignored, especially when he tries to share the secret ingredient to Mama’s soup. At last, though, Daddy and Josh follow Kevie’s advice (add sugar) and create a delicious meal that Mama, and a crowd of relatives, enjoy. Frequent, playful sound effects (“blurpetty-blurp . . . shakety-shake”) will make read-alouds fun, and Rodman perfectly captures the rhythm and words of family dialogue, from Josh’s taunts to Daddy’s mediating efforts: “We’re all a team.” Karas’ collage artwork combines thickly lined, expressive figures with patterned details that emphasize the cozy domestic setting and make a warm, reassuring counterpoint to the story’s themes of change and sibling frustrations. Together, the words and pictures form a realistic, tender celebration of middle children and the small, everyday moments that make up the richness of family life. Preschool-Grade 1. --Gillian Engberg
