Socks for Supper

I wish Jack Kent's work was better remembered. ?áHis brief, deceptively simple stories seem like light fun, but there's a hint of poignant resonance in them that I love.
In this, the poor old couple trades socks that the woman has knitted (from unraveling her husband's sweater) for milk & cheese from the better-off farmers. ?áAt the end, we learn that the wife there has been using the yarn from the socks to knit a sweater for her husband. ?áThe sweater is too large for her husband, so she gives it to the poor old man, and of course it fits him perfectly.

If not for the cow and its milk and cheese this vegan would have liked this a lot more. But it’s still a really cute story and it has a lovely ending too. The illustrations are adorable. I especially liked the facial expressions and the shrinking sweater.

Read on Open Library because my libraries have no copies available in any format.

Maybe it's that the title gives you a picture of eating socks before you even read this story, then you are surprised that it's about something different. Or maybe it's just the charm or the story. I don't know what it is, but this has always been a favorite of mine. Any good library, or small one at that, should have this book.

Thank you Internet Archive for having this book in your system! What an absolute delight to read. Sometimes the shortest books pack the biggest punch and heart.

Summary:

An old poor couple lives in a run-down house and only eats turnips. Their neighbors own a cow, but the couple does not have any money to buy milk or cheese. The old couple traded a pair of socks for milk and cheese. When the milk and cheese ran out and so did the old woman's yarn, only one sock was left. The couple with the cow still traded with the old man because the wife only needed one more sock to finish the sweater she was knitting for her husband. However, the sweater did not fit her husband and she gave the sweater to the old man because he did not have one.

Personal Reaction:

My mom read this book to me when I was growing up and I still enjoy reading it. It presents good values for children to learn. The book teaches the show more value of money and that some people do possess genuine kindness.

Classroom Extension Ideas:

1. Divide the children into two groups. Give three Hershey's® kisses to all the children in group one and one Hershey's® kiss to all the children in group two. Tell the children the importance of being thankful for what you have. Then tell the children in group one it is important to share what we have with others. Invite the children to give their third kiss to one of the children in group two.

2. Use this book to tell children the importance of kindness. Ask them to do at least two kind things in the following week. After the week, ask everyone to share the kind things they did. show less

A farmer and his wife are tired of the same supper, but with a little help from the near by neighbor they find a solution to thier problem and both families benefit. This is a great little story about being a good neighbor. The art work is happy, and very fitting for the characters.

A very poor old man and his wife don't have enough money for supper. The wife unravels the husband's sweater, knits socks, and trades the socks with the farmer next door for food. When the wife runs out of yarn, we find out that the farmer's wife has been making the socks into a sweater! The sweater doesn't fit her husband, so the poor couple gets the sweater back in the end.