Surprise Soup

by Mary Ann Rodman, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Mama had a baby last night. ?Is it a boy or a girl?? I ask Daddy. ?It?s a surprise, Kevie,? he says. ?You?ll fi nd out when they come home.? ?When is that?? I ask. ?Tonight,? says Daddy. Kevie is excited that he?ll no longer be the littlest. Little brothers get teased. Little brothers make messes. Big brothers help out. Big brothers know how to do things. Daddy, big brother Josh, and Kevie are making Mama?s special soup to welcome her and the new baby home. But only Kevie knows the secret ingredient. Absolutely irresistible illustrations and a funny, read-aloud text make this book just right for little brothers, big brothers?and their parents.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Animals, Cooking, Childrens, Food, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2009

About the author

Mary Ann Rodman, a former school media specialist and university librarian, is the author of First Grade Stinks!, Yankee Girl, and My Best Friend. She has received both the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Outstanding New Picture Book Writer and the Charlotte Zolotow Award. Rodman holds a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College.

Reviews

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful little story about making soup - and about being a little brother. Mama and the new baby are coming home from the hospital today, so Daddy, Josh and Kevie decide to make soup. Patient Daddy lets the two boys help, although Daddy wields The Dangerous Knife. Throughout the story, Little Brother Kevie remarks that nobody listens to a little brother, that little brothers get laughed at and that little brothers get teased. But in the end, it is Kevie's powers of observation that save the soup. I think it would be an excellent book to read to a younger sibling and I will keep it in mind if Sophie ever becomes a big sister.

[Lydia McGregor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care for this book. I didn’t like how it made it seem acceptable that little brothers just inevitably get picked on. I liked that they showed the dad & brothers stepping up to make a meal while the mom was newly postpartum but overall, the storyline & illustrations were kind of a snooze. I would not check this out again.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book where a young bear is excited to meet the new youngest sibling when mom returns from the hospital, but first they need to make dinner for mom! It turns out to be soup, which is not exactly like the soup that mom makes. Surprise!

[Kaelin Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It was interesting. It was about brothers working together with their father to make soup for the mother who had a baby along with relatives. It was great for younger siblings.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minus half a star for (spoiler alert) throwing out some vegetables that could probably have been fine if they'd rinsed them off, sheesh.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Kevie bear is eager for his mama to come home with her new baby. Kevie and his older brother and their dad prepare a special meal. The problem is that no one listens to Kevie when he makes a special suggestion for the surprise soup they are making. It is that ingredient that shows how much Kevie really knows from helping Mama. Cute story, including some sibling rivalry, and great illustrations.

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama's at the hospital to have a baby, so Daddy, Josh, and Kevie Bear decide to make her some surprise soup. They are a bad, wicked soup-making team! Everyone wears an apron, washes their hands, and pitches in to make the soup. Kevie washes the vegetables with soap! Then he opens a whole bunch of extra cans. The soup isn't following the recipe anymore and there's something not quite right. Josh blames Kevie; little brothers always get picked on! Kevie tells everyone that the soup needs sugar. Now it's perfect.

This is a fun cooking story and so realistic. I love the splooshety-sploosh of the tomatoes and the Dangerous Knife. It's also nice that the new baby coming home is not the focal point in the story. A real winner for family reading.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about making soup; the children help to make it and although it doesn't necessarily go as planned, the soup turns out great. I like that the Dad patiently lets the boys accomplish the steps that they are capable of doing and is patient when it's not done quite the way he intended.

The underlying story is about being a sibling, a big brother or little brother, in this case. Little brothers get teased, little brothers get picked on, little brothers get laughed at, etc.. But in the end, Little Kevie gets to become a big brother too and decides to share his knowledge with the baby, because little brothers know things.

Very cute story, with wonderfully expressive illustrations and unusual onomatopoeia. Our girls really liked it.

[Chanae Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Kevie who is a liitle brother. His mother is coming home from the hospital soon with him and his big brother’s new baby brother. Kevie wants to do something special for her, so he, his big brother, and father make surprise soup. Kevie gets teased by his big brother, but Kevie is the only one who knows the secret to the surprise soup.
I could use this book to get a discussion about family going. Talking about family could get the students more comfortable with being at school. It could also show the diversity of the students in the room. For writing, I could have the students write about the members of their immediate family.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute book with the siblings and parent interaction. I liked the pictures, the sounds that can be read, and the slightly child perspective that any younger sibling can understand. Especially a younger sibling who becomes an older sibling. As I remember that, the book clicked with me. Of course, it will still be enjoyable to others. Not quite a get-ready-for-new-baby book as it could be used for sibling relationship. I enjoyed the story, though I don't know how well I'd read it for storytime.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Brothers argue over everything while preparing for the arrival of Mom and the new baby. The illustrations are wonderful and capture the essence of brotherly "love" very well. Josh, the oldest, teases Kevie all through the story and there is lots of sticking out of tongues. They decide to make Mamma's special Saturday Soup for the homecoming meal and when things aren't quite right Kevie saves the day, since he knows what the secret ingredient is. There are lots of surprises and humor in this heartwarming book.

[Hye Eun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute book about the dad, and two brothers making a soup for the mother who is returning with a new baby. The youngest one kept saying to add sugar but they ignored him. However, when the soup didn't taste right, dad let him add the sugar and the soup tasted good. It was the surprise ingredient. This book would be good to teach children about importance of loving your siblings and listening to them. Grade 1-2

[Joann Aubain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book because it uses a realistic view of home life for most kids who are experiencing cooking skills. It can easily relate to the children through making soup and cooking, safety measures taken with cooking and dealing with sibling teasing while cooking.

A learning experience I would do with this book would be to discuss with the children different nutritious foods that can go in soup.

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama bear is coming home with a new sibling so Daddy and Kevie and his big brother Josh are making Saturday Soup to welcome them home. But Kevie's brother is always telling him that he is too small to help with the soup until the soup is finished and they realize that it is missing an important ingredient, one that Kevie remembers.

[Cya]

Sweet book about a bear family awaiting the arrival of their new baby brother/sister. Good for showing different kinds of family and siblings. Class could create a graph of family members. Also, could use to talk about bullying and problem solving. Class could also do a lesson with putting ingredients in a pot.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed that the family of bears created a vegetarian soup for a special dinner--although, sadly, there's no recipe in the back of the book. The colorful illustrations fill the pages.

I can't say I really liked the framing device, nor the wordiness of this one--I think it may have worked better as a "less busy" story.

[Laudys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I L-O-V-E-D this book. The illustrations are incredibly cute in that rustic way, the thick lines and colors, the funny writing and sounds. I wish it was in spanish so I could read it to my little nephew. I can imagine myself doing the sounds and teaching him how to identify the same objects in our kitchen.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a simple but delightful way to share a "new baby"story. Making soup together for mom/baby's coming home day, the previous littlest bear tries to help. Throughout the process his efforts are funny and realistic, just like his concerns about being teased or left out. The invented words to mirror each kitchen tool/process are almost addictive, kids will chime right in during repeated readings.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about the youngest child who knows exactly what to do! As the youngest child we do know a few things and sometimes have to repeat ourselves to be heard. I loved this for the youngest child who may be feeling a little ignored. Ages 3+

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bears mother is in the hospital having a baby. While the family waits for her to come home they decided to surprise her with a special dinner of soup.

A cute story. Good for readers advisory or a one-on-one with a parent or caregiver. Age 4-6.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was just ok, probably good for a little brother. The basic message of the story is that little brothers are sometimes ignored or picked on, and undervalued, so we forget that they do know stuff and can contribute too!

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book about Kevie, who is happy to no longer be the littlest brother due to the arrival of a new baby boy. He assists with the creation of a soup for their visiting guests and mama's arrival from the hospital with the baby. Fun illustrations. Reassuring and positive tone.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is simply a fun read aloud that I would present to my young students. There are some fun words and sounds to say and make throughout the story that the students may want to get involved in as well.

[Sung Baick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be awesome for teaching students how to use sounds in their writing! It is full of different onomatoepias throughout the book. This book can also be used to talk about new siblings or being the youngest sibling. Great for kids 1-3.

[Madonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about a young beear who can't wait to be a big brother. While his mom is at the hospital having a baby, he helps his brothers and dad prepare a surprise soup for his mom. Good book to read during a family unit. Good for discussing onomonopia. Pre-k-2nd.

[Betty Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story about the bear family who made a soup for their mother who just got a baby. I like the way the author uses the sound in the writing and this can be a good example for the students to teacher about how to write sound in their writing.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dad, Josh and Kevie decide to make Mom's "Saturday Soup" so it will be ready when she comes home from the hospital with their new baby brother. But there's a problem, it doesn't taste quite right. Kevie knows Mama's secret ingredient but no one listens to the little brother.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read for younger siblings; they will empathize with the narrator. Also provides great examples of onomatopoeia associated with cooking processes. My students enjoyed the story and I enjoyed reading it aloud to them.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute story about a little bear whose big brother is always making fun of him, and how he helps make the best soup as a welcome home dinner for his mom and baby brother.

read on http://www.wegivebooks.org/

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story about how a little bear helps his father to make soup for the family. They are waiting for their mother to come how with the newest addition to the family. The illustrations are a great addition to the story. I would love to have this book in my classroom library.