The Whole World Inside Nan’s Soup

As Nanni, an older bespectacled woman, stirs “a big metal pot” on the stove, her implied-Chinese granddaughter questions what’s inside, prompting Nanni to reveal all the labor that went into the soup she’s making. Simply worded, frequently lengthy paragraphs by Liguore detail each element of the process, from the seeds, to the people who harvest and transport: “I also see the merchants who greet the trucks, boats, and trains.” Melding the sensibilities of art nouveau with Asian nature paintings, Zhang illustrates a detailed, whimsical watercolor world with much to pore over as anthropomorphic animals and celestial bodies walk among humans of varying skin tones. Dense passages and formal language give this picture book a slightly dated feel, but contemporary themes of radical transparency and appreciating interconnectedness will ring true for a modern audience. Ages up to 8. (Aug.)