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The Story Behind the...
Soup Books
by Sarah Hines Stephens
illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Book jackets copyright 1998 and 2000 Anna Grossnickle Hines with permission of Harcourt Brace

I couldn't resist putting them all together.  We like to arrange and rearrange them. Writing the second set of three very simple books turned out to be harder than one might think. It's a real challenge to get a story in just a few words, but Sarah managed to do it.  It was her suggestion, since I had used the three primary colors in the first books, to use the secondary colors in these.

Jacob, of course, is our model baby and toddler.  He's four now and when I read the books to him for the first time--from the proofs at Christmas--he asked for them all a second time.  We ended with Soup's Oops! and when I finished the second reading he said, "Again."...  "Again."...  "Again."...  "Not again."

Jacob at 22 months,
was my model for the
Baby grown to Toddler
.

The Bean Books  

     

Published by Harcourt Brace, May 2000

Reviews

Jacob's review  (see above) counts a lot with me!
Watch for the upcoming one in the June/July issue of Parenting Magazine.
 
These sweet, softly colored board books feature Bean, a black cat, and Soup, a white-and-black pup. In the first title, the pets are shown cavorting up and down and around the room until Soup is sent outside and Bean joins him for a nap. In the second title, Soup eats, bathes, and snuggles right along with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed toddler. In Soup's Oops!, the pup gets in trouble for overturning a table while playing fetch in the house. The resident toddler solves the problem by moving the game outdoors. The books' extra small size will suit little hands, and the two-to-four words per double-page spread support the stories and concepts, which are mainly conveyed through the illustrations. Enjoyable fare for the toddler set.
Lisa Falk, Los Angeles Public Library, School Library Journal, June 2000.

Great addition to the series!  My son and daughter (10 months old) loved the Bean books, and I have been waiting for the Bean/Soup books to come out. They love this book as well. The illustrations are bright and appealing and the text is simple and clear. The combination works and my twins love it. It is also the perfect size for their hands.
An amazon.com reader from Arizona

Things to Do  This will take you to the Bean Things to Do page.
Book Page--Out of Print

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