Cucumber Soup is a cute counting book which focuses on insects. Published by Fulcrum and written by Vickie Leigh Krudwig, this book holds appeal for the young boys and girls among us who love counting and love bugs. (A fascination I, myself, do not hold.)
A cucumber has fallen on the ant’s hill and they cannot get into their home. They try and move it alone but are unable to do so. Some noisy mosquitoes come to lend some aid but aren’t anymore successful. Hairy garden spiders, butterflies and grasshoppers all join in on the fight but are unable to even budge that great big cucumber. Finally one tiny flea happens by and tips the scales in the balance of the insects and the ants are able to re-enter their home. With love and gratitude for the help that they’ve been given, they make some cucumber soup to share with their new friends. Not only is this a counting book (counting backwards from 10 to 1) but it is also a lesson about appearances not always being what they seem. It’s a tale of team spirit which, when properly applied, can move mountains or, as the case may be, cucumbers.
In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin is also perfect for fall. It is the story of a family who are out hunting for the perfect pumpkin in order to make the perfect pumpkin pie. They drive across the miles, explore various pumpkin patches and grocery stands, all in a quest to make “the greatest, most unbelievably scrumptuous, Red Sox-winning, school-closing, turtle-alive-in-a-vacuum-cleaner, gooey-cheese-pizza-right-out-of-the-oven, melt-in-your-mouth-s’mores kind of pies anyeone every tasted.” After many years of baking with pumpkins from all over, they decide to grow their own pumpkins. In so doing, they meet with success.
The great things about both of these books from Fulcrum Publishing is that each page holds information about the subject matter at hand, in addition to telling a story. For example, in the pumpkin story each page has some facts about pumpkins including where the largest was grown, how to make a horn out of a pumpkin, how much pumpkin is needed to make one pie, and how pumpkins have been used throughout the ages (even as a cure for freckles!). They are delightful, informative stories that I’m sure your family will be able to enjoy and talk about for some time.
Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.