Mean Soup

Mean Soup:  Betsy Everitt

 Harcourt Brace & Company. 1992.  New York. 16 pp. ISBN: 0-15-253146-7

Target Audience-K-3

Summary-Horace has had an awful day and comes home feeling mean!  He doesn’t know what to do until his mother suggests they make Mean Soup.

Characters-Horace, his mother

How does this book appeal to younger readers? The large pictures and single sentence on each page make this book very appealing for young readers.  The colors are basic and quite bright, and the shapes simple and uncluttered.  The theme is a familiar one for all, especially young readers who are learning to handle their emotions in a public and productive way.  I think the beginning of the story, which shows Horace’s awful day, will be very appealing.  The situations a bit contrived, but would have great appeal due to the humor and illustrations. 

Is there staying power for this book? Absolutely!  I use this book with my own class and they love it.  I have used it for many years and the appeal never lessens.  Dealing with our emotions in an acceptable but satisfying way is something that we all have to cope with throughout our lives.  I rank this with Judith Viorst’s  Alexander books.

What recommendations will you make for classroom use/library use of this book? This book can be used with a K-3 audience, or perhaps even older.  I have made Mean Soup and Mean Soup books with the class as a writing project in the beginning of the year.  We read the book and use a pot and wooden spoon.  We bang on the pot and yell into it, and then tell how we make Mean Soup when angry.  The children write out three ideas and we create a class book including all the pieces.  These are shared and the children are free to refer to the book whenever they need an idea.

I would definitely recommend this book.