In the learning module for the class, the book is listed as “books about reading” but it could also be listed as “books adults like that are not necessarily good books”. This book is primarily about reading, as the main character, Henrietta, chooses to read instead of doing her job of laying eggs. Interestingly it is her reading that helps save all the other farm animals from being slaughtered and turned into soup, sausage, and hamburgers. On the other hand, much of the humor in this book would likely be missed by the target audience, children in preschool – third grade, and only appreciated by an older audience which is why I also believe it could be listed in the other category.
Book Summary:
The book, Souperchicken, follows a hen named Henrietta who spends more time reading than she does laying eggs. The farmer comes along and takes away a truckload of hens for a “vacation” but leaves Henrietta behind. Henrietta’s reading skills come in handy when she realizes they are not being taken on vacation, but rather to the Souper Soup company to be made into chicken soup. The sign on the truck reads “Souper Soup Co” and once Henrietta realizes what this mean she leaps into action. Henrietta goes on a adventure, rescuing all the different farm animals that are being taken to various processing companies to be turned into food. In the end she saves the animals and they end up on a farm of a vegetarian where their only job is to eat the bugs from the organic vegetable garden.
APA Reference of Book:
Auch, M. J., & Auch, H. (2003). Souperchicken.
New York: Holiday House.
Souperchicken certainly reinforces the positive benefits of learning to read, but the humor and puns in the story may be missed by the target audience. My favorite part of this book, and something I think is most catching for young children, is the illustrations. The title page has pictures of each of the hens that illustrates their unique personalities with their name written above each picture. Henrietta, the main character of the story, is wearing reading glasses low on her beak in stereotypical reader fashion. The illustrations may be enjoyable enough for beginning readers, but the target audience, likely readers getting ready for chapter books, may not enjoy the story enough to read it all the way through. There are some slightly humorous puns, but those are likely to be missed by young readers. In one scene Henrietta is reading a book titled Could the sky fall? by Chick N. Little. Another scene, the farmer is getting the hens gathered up to go on the Souper Soup ompany truck and he tells the hens they can noodle their time away and simmer down and relax, all of which are puns about being made into soup. The book takes an underlying stance that eating meat of any kind is very negative and that ultimately being a vegetarian is the best option for everyone. I am never a fan of political messages being sent to young children under the cover of a beautifully illustrated book especially when it overpowers the pro-reading message which should have been the main theme of the story. On the other hand, if your family is vegetarian, this could be a great book to teach about reading and your family’s values regarding food.
Professional Review:
School Library Journal review from Book Verdict, May 1, 2003
“K-Gr 4 A disappointing addition to Auch's collection of enjoyable stories featuring poultry with high aspirations. In Hen Lake (1995) and Bantam of the Opera (1997, both Holiday), the author successfully teamed a follow-your-dreams message with humorous storytelling, but in this tale about a self-taught hen, she runs afoul of her formula. When egg production is down, Henrietta's aunts think that the farmer is sending them on a well-deserved vacation, but the younger chicken's ability to read the truck's "Souper Soup" logo clues her in to their real destination. On her mission to save her relatives from the soup factory, Henrietta reads labels, maps, and signs, pausing along the way to warn truckloads of pigs and cows of their futures as sausages and hamburgers. After the rescue is complete, the heroine and her flock find refuge with a vegetarian organic farmer. By the end, the story's pro-reading emphasis is overwhelmed by its anti-meat slant, and ceaseless puns only underscore the macabre tone. Even if young readers understand the farmer's tasteless comments ("-she's a cream of a chicken") and the truck driver's replies ("No wonder you're wonton to keep her"), they are more likely to groan than chuckle. Auch's other protagonists were driven by the joy of self-expression; the sole motivation here is survival. The illustrations are colorful and expressive, but aren't enough to lighten the mood. Compared to the author's previous successes, this book simply isn't up to scratch.”
APA Reference of Professional Review:
Ortega, E. (2003, May 1). Souperchicken.
Retrieved February 19, 2018, from Book Verdict:
http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-6337536.xml
This book contains many puns and the use of figurative language which would be a great tool for a language arts lesson for early elementary students. Understanding puns requires that students use their prior knowledge to comprehend what puns such as “It’ll be egg drop all over the place…” means. The English language can be very complex, therefore using beautifully illustrated stories can help reinforce the many creative ways to use words. Following the story, the teacher could encourage students to come up with their own puns using story prompts from the teacher or librarian.
Readalikes:
If the children enjoyed the illustrations and characters from Souperchicken, I would strongly suggest reading The plot chickens also by Mary Jane and Herm Auch. This book also stars Henrietta still the avid reader who decides to write her own story. The illustrations are fantastic and the story line, in my opinion, is much better than Souperchicken.
If you want to use the story for lessons over figurative language, I would recommend branching out to a couple other authors who have books that would complement and expand the lesson.
In a pickle: and other funny idioms by Marvin Terban is a great book that helps young readers understand some of the funny sayings that are commonly used but don’t actually mean what they say. Although the illustrations are not as great as Auch’s work, the book itself is a great resource and funny for young children.
Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT.
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