Souperchicken is the story of Henrietta, the hen who loves to read, and
her adventure on her way to save her aunties from becoming chicken soup. Henrietta's aunties don't like that she always
has her beak in a book, but her reading skills allow her to reveal that their "vacation" is not a vacation at all.
The illustration style of this book is very appealing to readers. The pictures seem to be modeled
after a sort of collage style. The chickens' feathers seem textured and the Souper Soup cans look like they have real
labels. The drawing of the hens bring the characters to life much more than does the text.
The plot plods along through a very predictable series of events, leading the reader to wonder if he/she
has read this book before. The "reading is good" theme is made overly obvious by such lines as, "And please learn to
read! Reading can save your lives!" A vegetarian theme also runs through the book, but the point is belabored
by Henrietta searching until she finds a "Versatile Vegetarian" newsletter. Of course the farm is owned by a lady in
flowing skirts with an organic garden.
The author's intent is so transparent that all but the youngest readers will feel patronized by this
book. After reading the book, one fourth grader commented, "I get it, I get it, reading is good, eating animals is bad."
That was all I took away from this book as well.
