Review of "Granny Torrelli Makes Soup"

Sharon Creech's skills aren't immediately apparent because her writing seems so natural and simple.  But in a series of books, she has shown a wonderful ability to write stories for children in blank verse that are full of feeling and fun.  In Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, young Rosie struggles with her jealousy when a new girl moves to town and wins the attention of her best friend Bailey.  Bailey lives next door, and he is blind.  Rosie is used to helping him do many daily tasks, but when he comes over to help make soup with her Granny Torrelli, she learns that he is able to do much on his own.  Rosie has so many feelings and moods that she is barely able to control herself when she gets annoyed or upset, but she is so full of enthusiasm and love when things are going well.  She learns from her Granny Torrelli's stories about her past how to cope with life and her brimming emotions.  In the 2-hour audiobook, Donna Murphy reads the story with great gusto, and if you weren't listening carefully, you would not notice that each chapter is a poem.  If you do listen carefully, it becomes clear how well crafted these poems are, enabling them to convey Rosie's whirl of emotions so directly.  Wonderful stuff!

 

© 2004 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

 

Links:

·                    Review of Heartbeat, by Sharon Creech

·                    Review of Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Review.  His main research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.