Duck Soup
by
Jackie Urbanovic
Order:
USA
Can
HarperCollins, 2008 (2008)
Hardcover
Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch
T
his cute picture book borrows its title from an old Marx Brothers movie. The book is about a case of mistaken conclusions drawn from a set of misinterpreted circumstances. The wildly animated illustrations reflect the funny storyline.
M
axwell Duck is quite proud of his ability to follow recipes for yummy soups, such as
Cracker Barrel Cheese and Marshmallow Soup
as well as
Way, Way Too Many Beans Soup
. Max, however, dreams of creating his own soup and of making his mark in soup-making history.
W
hen Max has a sudden inspiration, he runs out back to his herb garden, just missing his friends, who walk in the front door. When they see a feather floating in the soup pot, they automatically assume it is all that is left of Max. In vain, they try to rescue him, while effectively and humorously, destroying Max's attempts at a perfect soup.
K
ids will get a kick out of knowing the truth - that Maxwell is really not in the soup pot. Of course, poor Maxwell returns to find his almost-perfect soup ... gone. The last scene shows all of his friends eating pizza and salad (and a bowl of dog bones) since there is, of course, no soup for dinner. Max is dejected, but at least he is not
duck soup
, as is pointed out to him by a friend.
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