Cactus Soup

Cactus Soup- Eric Kimmel

Citation:

Kimmel, Eric. 2004. CACTUS SOUP. Ill. by Phil Huling. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN: 0761451552.

Plot:

            CACTUS SOUP is set during the time of the Mexican Revolution when soldiers were often marching through small towns and taking all of the food within the towns and leaving many with few supplies left after the army departed. This story is a variation of Stone Soup. The idea that a person can make soup of something as simple as a stone, or in this think case a cactus needle, is fascinating to the town people, but soon the leader of the soldiers is suggesting food items that would make the soup taste better and the people of the town bring the supplies willingly.

Critical Analysis:

            The illustrations of this book were phenomenal! The foreground pictures had exaggerated legs on both people and animals. The colors reflected the bright culture of the Central America. The variation of this folktale into a Mexican culture was genius because of the culture in our country. It was interesting to see the glossary in the back of the book, and some of the words may be hard to pronounce if you are not familiar with the language.

Reviews:

School Library Journal: “Huling's elongated watercolor cartoons provide just the right playful, brown-hued visual temperament for the all-round festive deception.”

Booklist: “How appropriate, then, that the two should team up to create a chile-infused recipe for stone soup. Their version is set in the Mexico of the Zapatistas.”

Connections:

Other books by Eric Kimmel

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

Mexican Revolution facts