by Alma Fullerton
Pajama Press, 2013
ISBN 978-1-77278-070-3
$11.95 (sc), 29 pp, ages 4 – 8
pajamapress.ca
This book will capture the hearts of readers young and old with rhymes reminiscent of “Mary had a Little Lamb,” a plot similar to “Stone Soup,” and art as unique as Barbara Reid’s. Children choose a vegetable to harvest from the schoolhouse garden while the teachers prepare the broth. Kioni is missing, though, because she is hurrying to finish her chores at home. Kioni should be feeding her goats. She looks for them and finds them feeding themselves out of the schoolhouse garden. Thankfully, the goats can be a part of the soup too—through their milk!
Classroom Connections: Images rich with colours and layered texture bring this story to life for non-readers and early readers. The text is accessible to early readers through the use of rhymes, patterns, and high-frequency words. Great for teaching community, exposure to rhyme, transitional readers, comparing texts. Reading Comprehension Strategies: Making Predictions, Making Connections, Asking Questions.
Review by Amanda Forbes.
This review appears in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2020 issue.