This book is a book of poems. For each month of the year, there is a poem about chicken soup with rice. In January, for instance, a little boy talks about how nice it is to slide on ice while sipping chicken soup with rice. The illustrations accompanying each poem are sure to be favorites, as they are simple, fun, and interesting. The poems also excite the imagination. In July’s poem, the narrating little boy travels “to the fishy deep/ where chicken soup/ is selling cheap” The illustration shows a turtle wearing a chef’s hat stirring soup!

This book is incredibly cute. I’m a fan of poems that rhyme and this book has 12 themed poems that each have a simple rhyme scheme. When I brought this book home, my fiancé exclaimed, “I remember reading that when I was little”, so this book will surely stay in the hearts of whoever reads or hears it.

For classroom extension ideas, I thought a teacher might read one poem each month. This would allow for the children to appreciate poetry better. Children might understand the inspiration for poems easier if they hear a poem about sliding on ice and eating hot chicken soup with rice if they themselves can experience the actions that are being described. A teacher could also make chicken soup with rice and let the children eat it. Afterwards, as a class, students could write their own poem using any month of the year.

This book is a great example of a fantasy book because there are things like the wind, birds, and pots that are given human characteristics. And none of these things can do the things they do in the book in real life.
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Media: Pen and Ink drawings ( )

Chicken Soup With Rice is a book of rhymes, one for each month of the year. Each month has a different theme that always ends with “Chicken Soup With Rice.”
September is my favorite month because there is a crocodile in a chicken soupy Nile. It is a fun book of months.
In April the story talks about Spain and Bombay. Students could locate these places on a map. Students could go back through the story and pick out each months rhyming words.

This is a cute story about a boy who eats chicken soup in every month and encounters something different each time. There is a snowman, wind, ice elephants, robins, roses, pots, water, a crocodile, witches, a whale and a Christmas tree involved. It is great for showing the different seasons.

I like the length of this book (short) because you can teach the months fast and fun. It is a book I own and have since I was little. It is cute to look at all of the illustrations and the character has a vivid imagination.

In a classroom activity time, I would have the students make a themed calendar. In the space for each month's picture, instead of chicken soup, they should draw something they could do all year round. Comprehension of the different seasons and what takes place over time is important. We could also make chicken soup with rice as a meal. It helps children learn measuring and also the value of cooking.

NP,GL 2.5,GRL M,AR 3.2,2 copies