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Maurice Sendak knew little people liked chicken soup when he wrote and illustrated "Chicken Soup With Rice" for the miniature Nutshell Library years ago. Now children will get a big taste of chicken soup as Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen bring them three titles in a new series of large picture books, "Chicken Soup for Little Souls."
Designed for children, ages 4 - 8, this new series follows other Chicken Soup titles geared for "the Teenage Soul" and "the Woman's Soul." These and four courses of the original "Chicken Soup for the Soul," published in 1993, have all held prominent spots on best-selling lists -- a true chicken soup phenomenon.
But aside from soup in the title, Canfield and Hansen offer a different serving in these three "Little Souls" picture books: "The Never-Forgotten Doll," "The Goodness Gorillas," and "The Best Night out With Dad." Children's author Lisa McCourt has adapted the stories for young readers (ages 4 - 8) from the originals, and each has the same warm, tender, moral tone as it portrays a childhood situation.
In "The Never-Forgotten Doll," Ellie tells readers about her older caretaker who is sad at remembering how her favorite doll was broken when she was eight years old. But Miss Maggie has a birthday coming up, and Ellie determines to replace the doll for her. With a lot of persistence and some help from the proprietor of Mulligan's Collectibles, she does.
In "The Best Night out With Dad," a story for boys, kids can discover a different way to befriend those less fortunate. Danny and his dad are standing in line for the circus with Vincent, a younger boy who has never been before, and his father. Danny describes the circus in exciting detail for Vincent, but when Vincent's dad gets to the ticket window, all goes wrong. Danny has a surprising choice at that point which he makes to his satisfaction as well as that of readers.
Perhaps the best of the series is "The Goodness Gorillas." Based on a real situation, it describes how contagious random acts of kindness can be, especially when a group of school children adopts these acts as their everyday mode of operation. But their classmate Todd and his dog Brutus want no part of kindness. When Brutus is killed by a car, the rest of the class must decide just how far their kindness extends. Their visit to Todd becomes a turning point both for them and for him, and readers catch a glimpse of the long-term effects of kindness.
The illustrations in all three titles are exceptional. Although done by different artists, the bright, lively watercolors are the same in style and proportion. Bert Dodson's pictures of the circus in "The Best Night out With Dad" make you want to go to the real thing. Young readers will be asking for more "Chicken Soup" in these same containers.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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