The winter winds are blowing cold now, so I wasn’t surprised to discover that January is National Soup Month in the U.S.! For its nutritional value and ability to keep us warm, soup makes the perfect chilly winter evening dinner, and I personally love when I can offer my children books that relate to our everyday lives. Melissa Iwai’s recent picture book Soup Day brings together educational concepts, real life experiences and adorable illustrations into the perfect winter evening storybook.
With the snow swirling all around them, a daughter and mother head to the market to purchase the supplies for soup day, adding fresh produce to their basket in easily countable groups, from “one bunch of crispy green celery” to “six big white mushrooms.” When they return home, preparing the vegetables is a job that mother and daughter can do together, and the natural shapes formed by the chopped veggies are remarked upon. While the soup simmers, they spend their time engaged in different loving interactions, with mom being an active playmate. After all the toys are cleaned up, the girl’s father returns home just in time to share the delicious soup. Bringing the experience from page to real life, the last page of the book includes a recipe for the very soup prepared in the story.
Personally, I love that this book involves color, shape and counting concepts in a natural manner, allowing for young children to count the objects along with the story but not presenting it in an overly didactic fashion. The text is short, but the story definitely comes to life through the bright illustrations and the experiences that all children can relate to. There’s a calm and serene feel to the story, similar to what one feels while relaxing at home amidst the savory smells of a soup cooking on the stove. My own children adore Soup Day (even as they’re still somewhat reluctant soup eaters themselves), and it has been an often requested read aloud this winter in our home! To see some pages of the book for yourself, head over to Melissa Iwai’s author website.
We’re happy to be able to offer a copy of Soup Day to one of our readers! Just leave a comment here to be entered (U.S. residents only, please). For one additional giveaway entry, you may subscribe to Melissa Iwai’s food blog The Hungry Artist– leave a second comment here telling us that you’ve done so.
We’ll announce the winner on January 31st, here in the weekly 5 Minutes for Books column.
5 Minutes for Books’ contributor Dawn‘s own cooking skills leave something to be desired, but she’s happy to be able to make one delicious pot of chicken soup all on her own! She blogs at my thoughts exactly.
Was the winner announced on Jan 31st?
I’ve subscribed to The Hungry Artist
What a cute book to read with my daughter. 🙂
I subscribe to Melissa Iwai’s food blog The Hungry Artist
I’d love to read this book to my son
Subscribed to Melissa’s food blog.
BornajhawkATaolDOTcom
What a cute book! My niece would love this. Count me in.
BornajhawkATaolDOTcom
This looks like a great book.
psmomreviews@gmail.com
Sounds a great book for my classroom.
This looks like a cute book. love to win thanks
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
I’m so glad I visited Melissa Iwai’s author website.. I can’t wait for one of my grandkids or daughters to try those peanut butter pretzel cookie. They won’t last very long around here. I subscribed to the blog and look forward to receiving her email.
If I win the Soup Day book, I can serve the great-grandkids soup, the cookies and read the book to them. Sounds like fun!
Blessings,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com
My children and most of my grandchildren are grown beyond the age stage of these books, ……however, I have 12 great-grandkids who are just the right ages who would love them…me too! Secondly, I am a writer and considering a try at writing children’s stories. It would be a favor to me to win this book….I have much research to do, and I am physically disabled and unable to get to the library. Everything will be found online and through “how to” books I read. Thank you for this giveaway and for the chance to win this wonderful book. I hope I do win.
Grace & Peace,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com
I think my boys would love this book! Thank you!
What a wonderful book!
My 3 and 5 year old would love this book. Please include me!
It sounds like a very sweet book. My little one would love reading it!
Wonderful book. It may actually get my kids to like to eat soup!!
We love making a pot of soup together as a family- it’s become a weekly winter tradition. This book would make a great accompaniment! : )
I’d love to be entered for this book. Thanks for the chance.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
This sounds like a book that my grandkids (and their chef dad) would like.
Love soup and would love to see this book!
Sounds like a nice book. Thanks for the review.
Super cute book, please count me in!
There is nothing better than a good book and soup on a snowday at home.
I subscribed to Melissa Iwai’s food blog The Hungry Artist…….neat site, thanks.
The soups on…thanks for the giveaway!
I’d love to win.
One of the best things about the winter is the chance for making soups and stews 🙂
would love this book
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
I’d love to win this to share with my daughter!
mearley1979 at gmail dot com
You’re right, that’s a perfect book for this kind of weather. I’ve never heard of National Soup Day. It’s funny how many “official” days there are. … The book sounds good.
This sounds like a great book 🙂 Thanks!
I would love to be entered for this book. Thanks!
I just subscribed to her blog. I wasn’t going to as I couldn’t just add her to my google reader (I hate getting tons of emails…), but I was looking at her blog and loving it! It’s great!
How fun! I’d love to win it!
Sounds like a wonderful book for the kids to read. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
I have a young person in mind for the soup book so please enter me into the contest!
~ : )
What a cute book!
someluckydog at gmail dot com
I just took a look at Melissa’s blog and I happily signed up. I need to get my pad and paper and write down some of those recipes, they look great. Thanks.
My daughter and I make cookies together but soup is much healthier! We’d love to try a new recipe.
My son is 16 months old and absolutely loves being read to. Thanks for the giveaway!
What a cute book. I’d love to win this.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
We are a soup loving and book reading family! Perfect for us!
What a beautiful book. My kids would love it. Great giveaway, thanks.
I just love soup, especially chicken when you put your chicken in the prudente cooker. It brings out so much flavor. Yummy
It looks like something my book-fanatic daughter would love–and maybe it would encourage her to try soup or vegetables!
Please enter me too…this would be perfect to read & cook with my 4 year old grandson! Thank you!
Soup sounds perfect on a cold snowy day in Minnesota!
I just posted soup yesterday as my Recipe Post of the week. What a great book giveaway.
Thanks
Jennifer
Sunshine of autumn at yahoo dot com
I subscribed to Melissas food blog!
I would love to read this with my boys. They are really into reading with mommy and I am always looking for reccomended books to read with them!
Sounds like a cute book! Thank you for the chance to win!
I subscribed to emails from the hungry artist.
What a fun book!
I love food blogs, so I happily subscribed to the Hungry Artist. 🙂
Sounds like a great book for my almost four year old!
This grandma loves children’s books and soup!
And giveaways 🙂 !
I’d love to add this one to our collection!
I know my grandson would love this, and being mommy is pregnant, has in home day care and just happens to LOVE to read books to the kids, Soup Day would be a great addition to their little “library”. Plus, boy can we relate here to the “snow swirling all around”..for about 5 months every year!
thanks much!
My 4-year-old and I would love to read this book together, especially since “Soup” happens to be my goal and word for 2011!
I love soup and I love books! 🙂