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Famous Seaweed Soup
It’s a family beach day. Sara wants to make her seaweed soup—her Famous Seaweed Soup. It’s a busy job. Sara asks for help to fill the yellow bucket, gathering seaweed and collecting smelly beach stuff. But her family is busy too, setting up the beach blanket, putting on sunscreen, and caring for baby Hallie. “All right,” says Sara, “I’ll do it myself.” And she does. Although no one helped her make her Famous Seaweed Soup, she invites everyone to eat it!
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Antoinette Truglio Martin
9 books53 followersAntoinette Truglio Martin is a children’s book author, memoirist, and blogger. The memoir, Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer (She Writes Press 2017) chronicles her first year battling breast cancer as a wimpy patient. Becoming America’s Stories (Red Penguin Books), a middle-grade historical fiction series, debuted in 2020. The award-winning three-book series includes The Heart of Bakers and Artists (formally titled Daily Bread), The Dreams of Singers and Sluggers, and The Wishes of Sisters and Strangers. The stories take place in 1911 and follows nine-year-old Lily Taglia, an American-born child of Sicilian immigrants, coming of age in New York City’s Lower East Side tenement while important milestones of American history unfolds.
Currently, Antoinette’s beloved picture book, Famous Seaweed Soup will be reissued in May 2023 with Purple Butterfly Press. This new edition will feature updated content and new illustrations by Penny Weber.
Antoinette proudly holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook/Southampton University. Be sure to visit her website and blog, Stories Served Around The Table at https://storiesserved.com/. She lives on Long Island with her husband and is surrounded by the sea and the people she loves.
Currently, Antoinette’s beloved picture book, Famous Seaweed Soup will be reissued in May 2023 with Purple Butterfly Press. This new edition will feature updated content and new illustrations by Penny Weber.
Antoinette proudly holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook/Southampton University. Be sure to visit her website and blog, Stories Served Around The Table at https://storiesserved.com/. She lives on Long Island with her husband and is surrounded by the sea and the people she loves.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 30, 2023
Omg this is so cute!
I do not like the “no” help dialogues from the other adult characters but it’s all in good faith.
A little family outing to the beach and this happens. Love it.
The illustrations are beautiful. However, the cover could be so much better.
Thank you, Purple Butterfly Press, for the advance reading copy.
I do not like the “no” help dialogues from the other adult characters but it’s all in good faith.
A little family outing to the beach and this happens. Love it.
The illustrations are beautiful. However, the cover could be so much better.
Thank you, Purple Butterfly Press, for the advance reading copy.
July 22, 2023
Famous Seaweed Soup is a retelling of The Little Red Hen with a twist. Sara and her family are having a family beach day. She wants to make her famous seaweed soup, but it seems no one wants to help her. She has to gather water, seaweed, smelly stuff and snails to add to her yellow pail. Meanwhile mom and dad set up the beach blanket and umbrella, make lunch and look after her little sister. Sara also finds other beach treasures during her day. Of course the soup looks and sounds quite disgusting and because no one helped, they all have to taste the soup. This is a cute story with fun illustrations. My one niggle is that Sara goes off by herself to gather all the items, and mom and dad don't appear to be watching her. My oldest grandchild made a comment about that, but the younger two didn't seem to notice. We did talk about safety and not wandering off by yourself and I told them that mom and dad were probably watching to make sure she was okay. I also want to say that the cover is not the best choice for the book. Sara looks distorted and the expression on her face is not the most appealing. The illustrations in the book are quite pleasant and that is not a good example.
April 1, 2023
This was such a fun book for my 2 year old and I to read together! She really loves the beach so that was a great topic to interest her. I loved the twist on the classic "Little Red Hen" story that I read as a kid! The illustrations are beautiful and really make you feel like you're on the beach enjoying the sunshine!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.
April 4, 2023
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this adorable picture book. The story rhythm reminds me of the children's poem that includes: "Not I said the goose. Not I said the duck." Sarah has to make her famous soup alone, but everybody in her family happily tastes it. It is simply written and so cute. The illustrations are beautifully done, and add so much dimension to the story. I pre-ordered it and look forward to holding the hardcopy in my hands.
April 1, 2023
A very cute book about a family trip to the beach. Much like The Little Red Hen, she wants to make a meal, but no one will help her. A very cute book children will love!
March 28, 2023
A re-illustration from the 1993 version. Each has their own charm. Thank you the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for sending me this e-ARC.
April 2, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this picture book. I would definitely use this in my classroom with my early elementary students. Sara has a ood attitude and she perseveres in her soup making even though everyone around her is very busy. I like the use of descriptive text and the illustrations would be very helpful for early readers. I can also discuss Sara's attitude and how inventive she's. She has good self confidence which is important to teach young learners. Great job. I look forward to more books by this author.
September 21, 2018
This is a book about independence. Our main character and he family go on a trip to the beach where Sara plans on making her famous sea weed soup. The whole time they are at the beach, however, everyone is too busy to play and make seaweed soup with Sara, but instead of being sad, she gets a sense of accomplishment for doing it all by herself. I was a fan of this book and I love the important moral to the story.
February 3, 2023
This is such a cute book. I remember doing things like that on a beach. I always use to p look any with stuff just to teach myself stuff. It was quite fun!! Now there is a cute book about that and I loved it!! This book is highly recommended and I am quite sure everyone will love it as much as I did.
I received a free copy of the book and voluntarily leaving a review
I received a free copy of the book and voluntarily leaving a review
June 25, 2012
Compare with "The Little Red Hen". Make concoctions on playground, and have kids write their own recipes!
December 6, 2016
I read this as a kid, and remember loving it and trying to replicate Sara's "recipe".
April 24, 2023
The 2023 edition of Antoinette Truglio-Martin’s colorful, upbeat, and lyrical picture book, "Famous Seaweed Soup" (the original was published in 1993) brings back memories of a tale I heard as a child called "The Little Red Hen." In that story, the central figure, an industrious hen, asks her animal friends to help her make bread--but, well, no one comes forward till it's time to eat! And since nobody helps, nobody gets to eat!
In "Famous Seaweed Soup," the tale revolves instead around a delightful child named Sara and her mixed-race family, whom she invites to help her "cook" at the beach. Instead of baked bread, however, the "food" to be made is "seaweed soup": a concoction of seaweed, seawater, sand, shells, a few borrowed snails, and other choice "natural ingredients." To add to the story's appeal, the author uses a rich inventory of words and descriptive language evocative of all the senses to describe how Sara slops up the grittiest, smelliest, slimiest, sloppiest, and therefore most delightful organic recipe served up since mud pie was invented! And when her "soup" is finally ready, her fun-loving family members are obliged to "eat" it (or at least to mock taste it) as a penalty for not helping to make the soup!
Loads of fun, delightfully illustrated by Penny Weber, and deliberately laced with repetitive phrasing in a narrative meant to be read aloud, Ms. Truglio-Martin's latest edition of "Famous Seaweed Soup" is a modernized classic with a whimsical twist.
In "Famous Seaweed Soup," the tale revolves instead around a delightful child named Sara and her mixed-race family, whom she invites to help her "cook" at the beach. Instead of baked bread, however, the "food" to be made is "seaweed soup": a concoction of seaweed, seawater, sand, shells, a few borrowed snails, and other choice "natural ingredients." To add to the story's appeal, the author uses a rich inventory of words and descriptive language evocative of all the senses to describe how Sara slops up the grittiest, smelliest, slimiest, sloppiest, and therefore most delightful organic recipe served up since mud pie was invented! And when her "soup" is finally ready, her fun-loving family members are obliged to "eat" it (or at least to mock taste it) as a penalty for not helping to make the soup!
Loads of fun, delightfully illustrated by Penny Weber, and deliberately laced with repetitive phrasing in a narrative meant to be read aloud, Ms. Truglio-Martin's latest edition of "Famous Seaweed Soup" is a modernized classic with a whimsical twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2023
Sara and her family are spending the day at the beach and she has big plans to make her Famous Seaweed Soup. Just like the Little Red Hen, Sara finds that no one has time to help her with gathering all the ingredients and mixing them up in her pail. It is amazing how many things her parents find to do instead of working with her. Whether it is feeding baby Hallie, making sandwiches, finding the beach playlist, chatting with a friend - Mom and Dad are too busy to join Sara in her project (and Hallie is no help since she is a baby busy tasting her own toes or putting sand in her mouth). But when it is time to eat the soup, Sara gets the last laugh by declaring that they all must taste it.
This story mimics the plot of the Little Red Hen, but updates it with an interracial family visiting the seashore. Children will have fun naming off the ingredients - water, seaweed, snails, a crab, and other items found on the beach. If they have enjoyed ocean visits of their own, this will remind them of treasures they have picked up on the sand. If they have not made it to the beach yet, then they may wish to do more investigating and find out about sea snails, gulls, or horseshoe crabs. Either way it is a perfect book to share as families begin to look toward summer vacation with their preschool or primary school kids.
This story mimics the plot of the Little Red Hen, but updates it with an interracial family visiting the seashore. Children will have fun naming off the ingredients - water, seaweed, snails, a crab, and other items found on the beach. If they have enjoyed ocean visits of their own, this will remind them of treasures they have picked up on the sand. If they have not made it to the beach yet, then they may wish to do more investigating and find out about sea snails, gulls, or horseshoe crabs. Either way it is a perfect book to share as families begin to look toward summer vacation with their preschool or primary school kids.
May 1, 2023
I am not really sure how I feel about this book.
On the one hand, it is a beautiful work of art. The drawings are exquisite and beautiful. The drawings really make the story come alive.
On another hand, it is a story of a girl playing alone at the beach all while the rest of her family is just… ignoring her. Yes, she has fun doing things on her own. Yes, she has fun. Yes, nothing bad happens to her. Yes, it is a nice story. But what I see there are her parents telling her all the time that they are too busy to do anything with her – one is always busy with the baby, and another one is busy entertaining themselves, be it on the phone (yes, way too much attention is paid to the phone), be it a book.
Then again, all this aside, this beautifully illustrated book has lots of words that a young learner might learn from this book.
Overall, I honestly do not know how I feel about it. The illustrations are perfect. The vocabulary-building potential is noteworthy. But the little girl being ignored, and the phone screen being preferred over time spent with her? I don’t know, really. I would not want any young child learning that this is the way things should be done, that this is the norm out there, and that phone screens are more important than spending time with them.
On the one hand, it is a beautiful work of art. The drawings are exquisite and beautiful. The drawings really make the story come alive.
On another hand, it is a story of a girl playing alone at the beach all while the rest of her family is just… ignoring her. Yes, she has fun doing things on her own. Yes, she has fun. Yes, nothing bad happens to her. Yes, it is a nice story. But what I see there are her parents telling her all the time that they are too busy to do anything with her – one is always busy with the baby, and another one is busy entertaining themselves, be it on the phone (yes, way too much attention is paid to the phone), be it a book.
Then again, all this aside, this beautifully illustrated book has lots of words that a young learner might learn from this book.
Overall, I honestly do not know how I feel about it. The illustrations are perfect. The vocabulary-building potential is noteworthy. But the little girl being ignored, and the phone screen being preferred over time spent with her? I don’t know, really. I would not want any young child learning that this is the way things should be done, that this is the norm out there, and that phone screens are more important than spending time with them.
May 10, 2023
Famous Seaweed Soup is a lovely book. It depicts family time spent at the beach. Kids can easily relate to the story.
A little girl named Sara is at the beach with her family. Everybody is busy. Nobody helps her prepare her famous seaweed soup. Sara has to make it all by herself. This books encourages kids to be independent and creative while playing. Sometimes everybody needs to have space and time for themselves. This doesn't mean people don't love each other. In the end everyone can be proud of Sara.
I like the idea that Sara promised the snails, which were supposed to be part of her seaweed soup, that she would return them to their place after playing with them. This little detail reminds children to be respectful to the needs of others.
The book shows a lot of activities people can do at the beach. There are also a lot of things that can be found there. The book has rich vocabulary and a rhythmical pattern, which can help young readers remember the story and make it fun to read aloud.
Disclaimer: This is an honest review. Many thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy.
A little girl named Sara is at the beach with her family. Everybody is busy. Nobody helps her prepare her famous seaweed soup. Sara has to make it all by herself. This books encourages kids to be independent and creative while playing. Sometimes everybody needs to have space and time for themselves. This doesn't mean people don't love each other. In the end everyone can be proud of Sara.
I like the idea that Sara promised the snails, which were supposed to be part of her seaweed soup, that she would return them to their place after playing with them. This little detail reminds children to be respectful to the needs of others.
The book shows a lot of activities people can do at the beach. There are also a lot of things that can be found there. The book has rich vocabulary and a rhythmical pattern, which can help young readers remember the story and make it fun to read aloud.
Disclaimer: This is an honest review. Many thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy.
June 9, 2023
The Famous Seaweed Soup by Antoinette Truglio Martin, Illustrated by Penny Weber
In the book Famous Seaweed Soup, get ready for the sizzling summer day with Sara and her family at the beach. Beach day is fun, packing sun umbrellas, beach mats, beach toys but above all tasting Sara’s famous seaweed soup.
When on a beach day everyone has a task to accomplish. Mom must take care of sister; dad is busy setting up the beach day fun activities. And Sara, well she must prepare the best tasting seaweed soup ever. As she goes step by step to put up the great concoction, Sara seldom asks for help. However, she is turned down by mom, dad, and Hallie thus Sara ultimately makes the great creation herself.
Author Antoinette Martin with her use of precise verbiage, and description invokes the senses and transports the readers to the beach. The sight, sounds, taste depicted in the book helps imbibe the beauty of the beach in every shape and form.
The book inspires the readers to observe and look around for nature in its various forms when at the beach. The lively vivid illustrations open the scene right in front of the readers.
In the book Famous Seaweed Soup, get ready for the sizzling summer day with Sara and her family at the beach. Beach day is fun, packing sun umbrellas, beach mats, beach toys but above all tasting Sara’s famous seaweed soup.
When on a beach day everyone has a task to accomplish. Mom must take care of sister; dad is busy setting up the beach day fun activities. And Sara, well she must prepare the best tasting seaweed soup ever. As she goes step by step to put up the great concoction, Sara seldom asks for help. However, she is turned down by mom, dad, and Hallie thus Sara ultimately makes the great creation herself.
Author Antoinette Martin with her use of precise verbiage, and description invokes the senses and transports the readers to the beach. The sight, sounds, taste depicted in the book helps imbibe the beauty of the beach in every shape and form.
The book inspires the readers to observe and look around for nature in its various forms when at the beach. The lively vivid illustrations open the scene right in front of the readers.
May 8, 2023
What a fun, modern take of a classic story!
Sara and family head to the beach, where Sara is famously known for making her Seaweed Soup. She asks for help collecting all the ingredients, but everyone seems to be busy. What will she do? Why, collect them herself, of course!
I love the new twist of this story. I love the diversity of the family. I love the ingredients in Seaweed Soup. I think so many kids today will connect to and love this story also.
The illustrations are absolutely amazing. My favorite page is Sara with her seaweed. The illustrator did a great job showing the difference of the dry, brittle seaweed and the wet, slimy seaweed. That isn’t the only detail in the story the illustrator shows her skill either.
I can easily see this story being shared by families, especially grandparents with their grandchildren, remembering the original as they go along. Old memories to enjoy while creating new memories.
Sara and family head to the beach, where Sara is famously known for making her Seaweed Soup. She asks for help collecting all the ingredients, but everyone seems to be busy. What will she do? Why, collect them herself, of course!
I love the new twist of this story. I love the diversity of the family. I love the ingredients in Seaweed Soup. I think so many kids today will connect to and love this story also.
The illustrations are absolutely amazing. My favorite page is Sara with her seaweed. The illustrator did a great job showing the difference of the dry, brittle seaweed and the wet, slimy seaweed. That isn’t the only detail in the story the illustrator shows her skill either.
I can easily see this story being shared by families, especially grandparents with their grandchildren, remembering the original as they go along. Old memories to enjoy while creating new memories.
July 5, 2023
A whimsical look at an independent kind of girl, as she and her family enjoy a day at the seaside. All the others have other things to do – well, her baby sister might not have much agency in that, but at least the story considers her at every beat – so she goes about her business herself. And that business is to make a soup of bay water, seaweed, stinky stuff and snails. The end pay-off I guess shows how light-hearted the piece is, but surely it would work better if the parents regretted not taking part – if they proved how horrid their penalty was, as opposed to making 'yum yum' noises, it would highlight the benefits to be had in being active, individual and creative. Still, what do I know – someone here, in this book allegedly from thirty years ago, is seen making a playlist on a mobile phone, which I doubt I was even aware of existing back then. Four stars are a little generous, but at least the book gets full marks re: sun-protection habits.
May 2, 2023
We just came back from a trip to the beach so this book hit home in the best ways. My daughters are two and four and really saw themselves in the two main characters and her journey to make her "famous seaweed soup." In this modern retelling of Henny Penny, this little girl is wanting her family to play with her as she becomes more and more exasperated that she has to do everything on her own to make this soup (even though her family is just enjoying their beach day as well). It was so fun to read and watch my daughter catch on to the rhythm of one of her favorite stories told again. The illustrations are beautiful and I always love seeing more representation of families in books we read. I'm definitely going to order this book when it comes out to donate to her school.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
April 4, 2023
When Sara accompanies her family to the beach, she decides to make seaweed soup in a little yellow bucket. But since her parents and baby sister are all busy, she must go solo. In this endearing picture book, Sara’s independent process yields two types of seaweed, 22 types of snails, and a host of other beach items. No wonder her family raves about the most delicious soup ever! Famous indeed.
While the text by author Martin is loads of fun for young readers, the detailed colorful illustrations are equally awesome. Since I have a fondness for fabric, I particularly love the creative beach designs worn by each family member, illustrated by the talented Penny Weber.
While the text by author Martin is loads of fun for young readers, the detailed colorful illustrations are equally awesome. Since I have a fondness for fabric, I particularly love the creative beach designs worn by each family member, illustrated by the talented Penny Weber.
May 4, 2023
Famous Seaweed Soup is written by Antoinette Truglio Martin and is illustrated by Penny Weber. This book is 32 pages and is geared toward readers 5 and above. This was a fun children's book to read to kick off summer. Sara loves the beach - she loves to make her famous seaweed soup. However, everyone around her is so busy. I love that she did not give up and kept a good attitude I loved how she used her imagination. The illustrations tie in perfectly with the story.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Children's book review for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Children's book review for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.
May 11, 2023
Sara is at the beach for the day with her family. She wants to make her famous seaweed soup, but whenever she asks other members of her family to help her, they are too busy. Sara has to do everything on her own. The illustrations are absolutely lovely. This seems to be an updated retelling of the story of the little red hen, and it is effectively done. It has a nice rhythm to it. It is hard, however, to watch Sara's parents so disengaged with her. They are too busy either entailing themselves or paying attention only to Sara's sister.
April 3, 2023
Loved this book! It was reminiscent of the Little Red Hen with its wording but brought a fresh new perspective. This was a lovely look into a family's day at the beach. The illustrations were gorgeous and made me think of my own childhood and the days spent at the beach in the sun. My daughter was entranced at the images and loved the descriptive words, especially when describing the seaweed. I highly recommend this book to anyone!
May 9, 2023
I was given an ARC “Famous Seaweed Soup,” by Antoinette Truglio Martin. This book has such a cute story, and the illustrations are beautiful! Sara is on a mission to make her famous seaweed soup and nothing will stop her from accomplishing her goal.
If you have a child who loves the beach, this is the perfect book for them! As someone who loves the beach, I know I will treasure this book for a long time.
If you have a child who loves the beach, this is the perfect book for them! As someone who loves the beach, I know I will treasure this book for a long time.
May 2, 2023
Famous Seaweed Soup is a contemporary, kid-relatable slant on the classic tale of The Little Red Hen. Illustrator Penny Weber deftly envisions the story with a multi-ethnic family. Author Antoinette Martin adds a twist of generosity to the story when Sarah's Famous Seaweed Soup is enjoyed by many.
May 9, 2023
I love this adorable book, featuring Sara and her family enjoying a beach day. This is a great book for teaching resilience and self-reliance, and would fit perfect into any STEM/STEAM unit for young children. This is an updated version of an original that was published in 1993. The biggest change is that the family now presents as multiracial. Wonderfully drawn by Penny Weber.
May 10, 2023
FUN Immersive Story to Share as a Family
I was attracted to the lovely illustration on the front cover of the book. The rhythm of the writing is great, and the illustrations have a joyful energy. I love that the story is about a shared family event/outing that feels very 'real' and the wide page format, for sharing this sweet story as a family.
I was attracted to the lovely illustration on the front cover of the book. The rhythm of the writing is great, and the illustrations have a joyful energy. I love that the story is about a shared family event/outing that feels very 'real' and the wide page format, for sharing this sweet story as a family.
July 4, 2023
This beautifully illustrated book is not only fun, but it's a lesson in persistence, self-reliance, and how to enjoy nature. In a world where many children don't play outside enough, this book is an important reminder of how and why outside play is so important. I felt some anxiety for little Sara as she tries to get her busy parents to engage with her.
April 7, 2023
I have the original which has been a family and preschool favorite for many years. Nice to see an updated version. Your kids, grandkids and friends will enjoy this book and will like making their own seaweed soup at the beach. A great summer language learning book for all and a fun book .
May 7, 2023
Meet Sara, who is determined to make her famous seaweed soup with or without help! This book was first published in the 90s and I’m so happy to have a copy of its renewed edition. The text flows with the repetition and surprises of classic picture books and the story is just so fun!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews