Quill Soup: A Stone Soup Story

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. Ages 3–7. [em](Sept.) [/em]