From Soup to ... Tortillas!

 Theme: food, traditions, family

Everyone has Day-after-Thanksgiving traditions. In my family it is making soup and putting turkey meat into freezer containers to use in chili and burrito mixes later. So… I thought today would be the perfect day to share two books about Food and Traditions. Let’s start with soup, because some of us already have the turkey carcass in the pot simmering away!

Soup's On Around the World (Taste the World) 

by Denyse Waissbluth; illus by Chelsea O'Byrne 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Greystone Kids, 2025

Soup’s on. A tasty treat. Fill your bowl. Time to eat!

Page by page, readers travel around the world sipping soups from different regions and cultures. Hot soup from Thailand, cold soup from Spain. Soup as orange as pumpkin or as red as beets. Sweet soup, bitter soup, soup made from clams – and chicken soup to cure whatever ails you.

What I like about this book: Rhyming language introduces the different soups, but not by name. On one page we’re invited to bring veggies ~ it’s for minestrone, a thick vegetable soup that has no rules! Just toss in any vegetables you have, along with some pasta. (It sounds a lot like my “refrigerator” soup). There are other soups that are cooked in a large communal pot – enough for all! Back matter includes a bit of soupy history and the favorite recipes of the author and illustrator. Yum!

Some of our turkey meat goes into the soup, but some is frozen to make meals later. My favorite is black bean & turkey burritos. But before we can roll up the burritos, we need to make tortillas. Maybe this next book will help?

Tia Sofia and the Giant Tortilla (Mi Hermosa Familia/My Beautiful Family) 

by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz; illus by Carlos Vélez Aguilera 

32 pages; ages 3-7

‎Gibbs Smith, 2025

My name is Luna, and I want to tell you about my Tia Sofia and the giant tortilla.

Tia Sofia is an artist with a wild streak. She also wants some help rolling out the tortilla dough, so Luna and her little brother, Sol, roll out the masa to some music. It’s messy, and bits of dough and flour end up in the oddest places. But it’s Tia Sofia who gets carried away and rolls out a tortilla SO big it could be used as a superhero’s cape!

What I like about this book: Luna and Sol have great imaginations and come up with at least half-a-dozen uses for a giant tortilla. This will certainly inspire kids to think about what they might do with a giant tortilla. Or a giant cookie, biscuit, or pancake – depending on what they might make in their home. I also like how Spanish words are integrated into the story. Back matter includes a seek-and-find challenge and a recipe for Tia Sofia’s flour tortillas.

Beyond the Books:

Make your own turkey soup, starting with the left-over turkey. First thing we do is take the meat off the bones and pop the carcass in a big pot – along with onion, celery, carrots, and herbs – to simmer for 3 or 4 hours. Meanwhile, we sort the meat into some for sandwiches, some for chili and burritos, and some for the soup. Homemade turkey soup recipe here.

Make your own tortilla (giant or regular size). Here’s a recipe that’s easy to follow. They use it to make a nut butter and jelly sandwich – or maybe a quesadilla (grilled cheese).

Everyone has a favorite kind of soup. Ask your family and friends (or classmates) what kind of soup they like the best. Then make a chart showing how many people like each kind of soup. My favorite: bean soup with ham or kielbasa in it.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ what's THAT under my blueberry leaf?

 

I love the way my blueberry leaves turn brilliant red in the fall! So the other day I was trying to capture the color when I noticed this egg sac sheltered beneath a leaf. Someone more knowledgeable about spiders than I am suggested that it was a yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia - which makes sense since there were many of them inhabiting my garden this summer.

According to what I've read, there can be hundreds of eggs inside, and they hatch in late fall or early winter. But rather than dispersing, the spiderlings go into diapause (a dormant state) and emerge the following spring. If they all live (which they won't) I'll have plenty of pest-munching spiders in my garden! Bug Eric has a great post about them here. 

Do you have any spiders hanging around your yard? 

Scales and Tails and long, flicking tongues!

 

Flick! The Truth About Lizards 

by Annette Whipple

32 pages; ages 8-12

‎Reycraft Books, 2025

theme: animals, lizards, nonfiction

The flicking tongue. The color-changing skin. The watchful eyes…

Geckos, iguanas and skinks are just some of the reptiles that scientists have grouped into a category they call “lizards.” In this book, Annette introduces readers to lizard secrets: why they flick their tongues, where they live, and what they eat.

What I like about this book: I like the way Annette begins each section with a question, like “what good are lizards’ toes?”  I love the photographs that capture lizards at their scaly-est. And there are extra facts on each spread under “scales & tails” where we can discover things like how geckos can hang upside down. Back matter includes caring for a lizard as a pet, an introduction to some scaly superstars, a hands-on exploration of how chameleon tongues work, and a glossary. 

Beyond the Books:

Make a 3-D paper lizard with a roly tail – it’s fun to make. Here’s a video showing how 

Check out the lizard and reptile hands-on STEM activities at Growing With Science blog – including one about how lizards warm up in the sunshine.

Do lizards live in your backyard? Here are the most common lizards that live in the United States. If you can’t find any living around your neighborhood, maybe a nearby zoo has a reptile house with lizards.

Could gecko feet help us walk on slippery surfaces?  Here’s how gecko feet work (a National Geo Kids video). Inspired by gecko footpads, some scientists are developing a material that could be used in shoe soles to prevent slips and slides. What feature of lizards inspires you to create something?

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.