{"id":4523874811983,"title":"Quill Soup","handle":"quill-soup","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan size=\"4\" style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003eQuill Soup\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan size=\"3\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003eA Stone Soup Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alan-durant\"\u003eAlan Durant\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/dale-blankenaar\"\u003eDale Blankenaar\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIf only I had something more . . . \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeary traveler Noko the porcupine asks Meerkat, Monkey, Pangolin, and all the other villagers for shelter and a meal, and each one refuses. So, putting his wits to work, Noko asks for a fire and a pot of water. He adds some of his quills to the pot and proudly tells onlookers that he's making his famous quill soup-a dish fit for the king! Now if only he had a little something extra to add . . . One by one, the villagers each contribute an ingredient to a dish that all can share.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLushly textured illustrations bring this take on the Stone Soup fable to vivid life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/imanis-moon\"\u003eImani's Moon\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"spread\"\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/quill-soup-spread.jpg?v=1586192682\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlan Durant, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Durant writes fiction for all ages, from preschool prose to poetry for adults. His picture books include \u003cem\u003eBurger Boy\u003c\/em\u003e. Alan lives in Brighton, England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alan-durant\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Alan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDale Blankenaar, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDale Blankenaar has illustrated about thirty picture books and won several international awards, including the IBBY Honour list and the Publishers Choice Award at the 201 7 Shanghai International Book Fair. Dale lives in South Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/dale-blankenaar\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Dale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom South African, an animal retelling of the “Stone Soup” folktale. The stranger in this version is Noko, a porcupine. Having traveled without food “through the Valley of a Thousand Hills,” he arrives in a village hungry. When the villagers refuse him food, he creates a “thick and rich” soup with nothing but hot water and three of his own quills—and, of course, all the other ingredients that the villagers contribute. Impressed by Noko’s claim to have fed this soup to the king, they fork over carrots, mealies, beans, spinach, and more. The king, not present but imagined, is a lion; the villagers are Meerkat, Warthog, Rabbit, and bunches of others. The setting, called a village, is both bustling and ambiguous—an amalgam of village, forest, and jungle. The scenes are intensely crowded and bursting with energy; both animals and backgrounds are styled in two dimensions, so everything overlaps on one plane. These animals aren’t living in a specific static location so much as a world of bright red, yellow, blue, green, black, and white shapes and patterns. Occasionally an element seems industrial, such as small rounded rooms connected by ladders and tunnels that evoke factory pipes, but it’s not definite. Flap copy says that illustrator Blankenaar took inspiration from African sources ranging from broad to specific: “Tanzanian artwork, the wood sculpture of Western Africa, and the costumes and masks of the Bwa people of Burkina Faso.” Visually dynamic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDurant’s appealing twist on “Stone Soup” follows the adventures of Noko, a porcupine, who comes to a village after “traveling through the Valley of a Thousand Hills.” Upon arrival, he is delighted—at last, somewhere to rest, and something to eat. The suspicious local animals hide and refuse to give him food, but Noko’s “brain was as sharp as the quills on his back.” When he starts to cook a quill soup and claims that it is beloved by the king, the other animals, impressed, join in—Meerkat finds “mealies” and Pangolin adds worms—to make it just the way His Majesty likes it, and soon enough, there is soup enough for all to share. The book’s greatest appeal is Blankenaar’s vibrant, layered illustrations, which use stylized, blocky shapes and bold shades of red, blue, yellow, green, and black to conjure the bustling biodiversity of South African wild places.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis retelling of the traditional \"Stone Soup\" tale stars a porcupine named Noko, hungry, tired, and seeking hospitality in a small village; and features animals of South Africa—monkeys, meerkats, aardvarks, and warthogs, who refuse to share their obvious plenty. Noko plucks three of his quills and sets about making soup, \"just how His Majesty likes it.\" The text is engagine and readable (\"his brain wasa as sharp as the quills on his back\"), albeit with few of the structural hallmarks of an oral tale (and no source note). It is South African artist Blankenaar's imagery that pulls readers into the story. Stylized shpes in strong colors spill off every page. The illustrations, with the texture of block prints, are bold and flat. The animal homes, seen in a cutaway side view, are an intriguing jumble of natural and human-made elements for instance, rabbits live underground in warrens but use electirc light fixtures and ladders). Opening endpapers in black, white, and shades of gray, wet the stage for Noli's hnger and isolation. The book closes with colorful endpapers when \"with a full tummy and a happy heart, Noko the traveler went to sleep at last.\" Birds, snakes, three branches, and animals' tails twine together, creating an interconnected world in which animals will eventually—even if they have to be tricked—accept a needy stranger into their community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Quill Soup book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/quill-soup-cover.jpg?v=1586192683\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/quill-soup-cover-hires.jpg.zip?v=1586192699\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-147-7\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-63289-923-1 EPUB\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 40\u003cbr\u003e9 \u003csup\u003e1\u003c\/sup\u003e\/\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e x 10 \u003csup\u003e1\u003c\/sup\u003e\/\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2020-04-06T17:35:01-04:00","created_at":"2020-04-06T16:10:24-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Age_Ages 3-6","Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Fiction","Browse by Format_Picture Book","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_Animals \u0026 Dinosaurs","Browse by Subject_Diversity","Browse by Subject_Life Lessons \u0026 Skills","Browse by Subject_Social Studies\/Cultures","Browse by Subject_Story Time \u0026 Play"],"price":1699,"price_min":1699,"price_max":1699,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":31948935069775,"title":"Hardcover","option1":"Hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"41477","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":{"id":14507994972239,"product_id":4523874811983,"position":1,"created_at":"2020-04-06T16:16:36-04:00","updated_at":"2020-04-13T14:12:52-04:00","alt":"Quill Soup book cover","width":2850,"height":3150,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/QuillSoup_FNL_300.jpg?v=1586801572","variant_ids":[31948935069775]},"available":true,"name":"Quill Soup - Hardcover","public_title":"Hardcover","options":["Hardcover"],"price":1699,"weight":369,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":10,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"978-1-62354-147-7","featured_media":{"alt":"Quill Soup book cover","id":6681067585615,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.905,"height":3150,"width":2850,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/QuillSoup_FNL_300.jpg?v=1586801572"}},"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/QuillSoup_FNL_300.jpg?v=1586801572"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/QuillSoup_FNL_300.jpg?v=1586801572","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":"Quill Soup book cover","id":6681067585615,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.905,"height":3150,"width":2850,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/QuillSoup_FNL_300.jpg?v=1586801572"},"aspect_ratio":0.905,"height":3150,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/QuillSoup_FNL_300.jpg?v=1586801572","width":2850}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan size=\"4\" style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003eQuill Soup\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan size=\"3\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003eA Stone Soup Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alan-durant\"\u003eAlan Durant\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/dale-blankenaar\"\u003eDale Blankenaar\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIf only I had something more . . . \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeary traveler Noko the porcupine asks Meerkat, Monkey, Pangolin, and all the other villagers for shelter and a meal, and each one refuses. So, putting his wits to work, Noko asks for a fire and a pot of water. He adds some of his quills to the pot and proudly tells onlookers that he's making his famous quill soup-a dish fit for the king! Now if only he had a little something extra to add . . . One by one, the villagers each contribute an ingredient to a dish that all can share.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLushly textured illustrations bring this take on the Stone Soup fable to vivid life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/imanis-moon\"\u003eImani's Moon\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"spread\"\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/quill-soup-spread.jpg?v=1586192682\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlan Durant, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Durant writes fiction for all ages, from preschool prose to poetry for adults. His picture books include \u003cem\u003eBurger Boy\u003c\/em\u003e. Alan lives in Brighton, England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alan-durant\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Alan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDale Blankenaar, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDale Blankenaar has illustrated about thirty picture books and won several international awards, including the IBBY Honour list and the Publishers Choice Award at the 201 7 Shanghai International Book Fair. Dale lives in South Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/dale-blankenaar\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Dale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom South African, an animal retelling of the “Stone Soup” folktale. The stranger in this version is Noko, a porcupine. Having traveled without food “through the Valley of a Thousand Hills,” he arrives in a village hungry. When the villagers refuse him food, he creates a “thick and rich” soup with nothing but hot water and three of his own quills—and, of course, all the other ingredients that the villagers contribute. Impressed by Noko’s claim to have fed this soup to the king, they fork over carrots, mealies, beans, spinach, and more. The king, not present but imagined, is a lion; the villagers are Meerkat, Warthog, Rabbit, and bunches of others. The setting, called a village, is both bustling and ambiguous—an amalgam of village, forest, and jungle. The scenes are intensely crowded and bursting with energy; both animals and backgrounds are styled in two dimensions, so everything overlaps on one plane. These animals aren’t living in a specific static location so much as a world of bright red, yellow, blue, green, black, and white shapes and patterns. Occasionally an element seems industrial, such as small rounded rooms connected by ladders and tunnels that evoke factory pipes, but it’s not definite. Flap copy says that illustrator Blankenaar took inspiration from African sources ranging from broad to specific: “Tanzanian artwork, the wood sculpture of Western Africa, and the costumes and masks of the Bwa people of Burkina Faso.” Visually dynamic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDurant’s appealing twist on “Stone Soup” follows the adventures of Noko, a porcupine, who comes to a village after “traveling through the Valley of a Thousand Hills.” Upon arrival, he is delighted—at last, somewhere to rest, and something to eat. The suspicious local animals hide and refuse to give him food, but Noko’s “brain was as sharp as the quills on his back.” When he starts to cook a quill soup and claims that it is beloved by the king, the other animals, impressed, join in—Meerkat finds “mealies” and Pangolin adds worms—to make it just the way His Majesty likes it, and soon enough, there is soup enough for all to share. The book’s greatest appeal is Blankenaar’s vibrant, layered illustrations, which use stylized, blocky shapes and bold shades of red, blue, yellow, green, and black to conjure the bustling biodiversity of South African wild places.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis retelling of the traditional \"Stone Soup\" tale stars a porcupine named Noko, hungry, tired, and seeking hospitality in a small village; and features animals of South Africa—monkeys, meerkats, aardvarks, and warthogs, who refuse to share their obvious plenty. Noko plucks three of his quills and sets about making soup, \"just how His Majesty likes it.\" The text is engagine and readable (\"his brain wasa as sharp as the quills on his back\"), albeit with few of the structural hallmarks of an oral tale (and no source note). It is South African artist Blankenaar's imagery that pulls readers into the story. Stylized shpes in strong colors spill off every page. The illustrations, with the texture of block prints, are bold and flat. The animal homes, seen in a cutaway side view, are an intriguing jumble of natural and human-made elements for instance, rabbits live underground in warrens but use electirc light fixtures and ladders). Opening endpapers in black, white, and shades of gray, wet the stage for Noli's hnger and isolation. The book closes with colorful endpapers when \"with a full tummy and a happy heart, Noko the traveler went to sleep at last.\" Birds, snakes, three branches, and animals' tails twine together, creating an interconnected world in which animals will eventually—even if they have to be tricked—accept a needy stranger into their community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Quill Soup book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/quill-soup-cover.jpg?v=1586192683\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/quill-soup-cover-hires.jpg.zip?v=1586192699\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-147-7\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-63289-923-1 EPUB\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 40\u003cbr\u003e9 \u003csup\u003e1\u003c\/sup\u003e\/\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e x 10 \u003csup\u003e1\u003c\/sup\u003e\/\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}
Quill Soup
A Stone Soup Story

By: Alan Durant / Illustrated by: Dale Blankenaar

If only I had something more . . .

Weary traveler Noko the porcupine asks Meerkat, Monkey, Pangolin, and all the other villagers for shelter and a meal, and each one refuses. So, putting his wits to work, Noko asks for a fire and a pot of water. He adds some of his quills to the pot and proudly tells onlookers that he's making his famous quill soup-a dish fit for the king! Now if only he had a little something extra to add . . . One by one, the villagers each contribute an ingredient to a dish that all can share.

Lushly textured illustrations bring this take on the Stone Soup fable to vivid life.

Maximum quantity available reached.

Alan Durant, author

Alan Durant writes fiction for all ages, from preschool prose to poetry for adults. His picture books include Burger Boy. Alan lives in Brighton, England.

Read more about Alan.


Dale Blankenaar, illustrator

Dale Blankenaar has illustrated about thirty picture books and won several international awards, including the IBBY Honour list and the Publishers Choice Award at the 201 7 Shanghai International Book Fair. Dale lives in South Africa.

Read more about Dale.

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Kirkus Reviews

From South African, an animal retelling of the “Stone Soup” folktale. The stranger in this version is Noko, a porcupine. Having traveled without food “through the Valley of a Thousand Hills,” he arrives in a village hungry. When the villagers refuse him food, he creates a “thick and rich” soup with nothing but hot water and three of his own quills—and, of course, all the other ingredients that the villagers contribute. Impressed by Noko’s claim to have fed this soup to the king, they fork over carrots, mealies, beans, spinach, and more. The king, not present but imagined, is a lion; the villagers are Meerkat, Warthog, Rabbit, and bunches of others. The setting, called a village, is both bustling and ambiguous—an amalgam of village, forest, and jungle. The scenes are intensely crowded and bursting with energy; both animals and backgrounds are styled in two dimensions, so everything overlaps on one plane. These animals aren’t living in a specific static location so much as a world of bright red, yellow, blue, green, black, and white shapes and patterns. Occasionally an element seems industrial, such as small rounded rooms connected by ladders and tunnels that evoke factory pipes, but it’s not definite. Flap copy says that illustrator Blankenaar took inspiration from African sources ranging from broad to specific: “Tanzanian artwork, the wood sculpture of Western Africa, and the costumes and masks of the Bwa people of Burkina Faso.” Visually dynamic.

Publishers Weekly

Durant’s appealing twist on “Stone Soup” follows the adventures of Noko, a porcupine, who comes to a village after “traveling through the Valley of a Thousand Hills.” Upon arrival, he is delighted—at last, somewhere to rest, and something to eat. The suspicious local animals hide and refuse to give him food, but Noko’s “brain was as sharp as the quills on his back.” When he starts to cook a quill soup and claims that it is beloved by the king, the other animals, impressed, join in—Meerkat finds “mealies” and Pangolin adds worms—to make it just the way His Majesty likes it, and soon enough, there is soup enough for all to share. The book’s greatest appeal is Blankenaar’s vibrant, layered illustrations, which use stylized, blocky shapes and bold shades of red, blue, yellow, green, and black to conjure the bustling biodiversity of South African wild places.

The Horn Book

This retelling of the traditional "Stone Soup" tale stars a porcupine named Noko, hungry, tired, and seeking hospitality in a small village; and features animals of South Africa—monkeys, meerkats, aardvarks, and warthogs, who refuse to share their obvious plenty. Noko plucks three of his quills and sets about making soup, "just how His Majesty likes it." The text is engagine and readable ("his brain wasa as sharp as the quills on his back"), albeit with few of the structural hallmarks of an oral tale (and no source note). It is South African artist Blankenaar's imagery that pulls readers into the story. Stylized shpes in strong colors spill off every page. The illustrations, with the texture of block prints, are bold and flat. The animal homes, seen in a cutaway side view, are an intriguing jumble of natural and human-made elements for instance, rabbits live underground in warrens but use electirc light fixtures and ladders). Opening endpapers in black, white, and shades of gray, wet the stage for Noli's hnger and isolation. The book closes with colorful endpapers when "with a full tummy and a happy heart, Noko the traveler went to sleep at last." Birds, snakes, three branches, and animals' tails twine together, creating an interconnected world in which animals will eventually—even if they have to be tricked—accept a needy stranger into their community.

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-147-7

E-book
ISBN: 978-1-63289-923-1 EPUB

Ages: 3-7
Page count: 40
1/2 x 10 1/2