Every Color Soup

PreS-Gr 2--Using the flat graphic art style employed in her earlier books, Hurley introduces the very young to a variety of ingredients used to make soup. On a spread that includes a cutting board, knife, wooden spoon, and large soup pot, the text reads, "We are making Every Color Soup./ We'll need..." With each ensuing page turn, youngsters see a spread containing an outsize image of one or two ingredients, rendered in Photoshop, on white background. Except for a jar of blue lentils that might be mistaken for something else, no ingredient is labeled. Only a color word appears in large type. For example, the word "white" is opposite a salt cellar and garlic cloves resting on a table. Seven individual measuring cups of liquid are labeled "clear." Brown hands "chop" the ingredients, "drop" them into the pot, which then "bubble[s]," and finally, a bowl of soup with colorful ingredients floating on top is set out on a checkered cloth. "Yum." Chopped images of the food items within, including dots of pepper, are scattered across the endpapers, and the title page spread cleverly depicts the veggies growing in a garden. Back matter includes a recap of all the ingredients and their names as well as a soup recipe that includes all the foods shown. VERDICT The large colorful illustrations make this versatile offering perfect for a group study of colors and of different foods. Budding cooks will enjoy working with an adult to follow the recipe included.--Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA