STINK SOUP

Spending a week at Granny’s is not Annabelle’s idea of fun for two reasons: she has to be in charge of making her little brother, Willie, behave and she has to help Granny put up mountains of tomatoes. Annabelle can’t stand doing either thing because she hates tomatoes—and Willie and trouble go together like biscuits and gravy. When he drives the hay bale cart pulled by Chester the goat into the pond, or lassoes chickens, or climbs the windmill, Granny doesn’t see his mischief-making and blames Annabelle. When Granny sends Willie to the cellar with eggs, he doesn’t close the cellar doors and a polecat gets in and they all get skunked. Granny makes “stink soup” as the only remedy to rid them of the smell, and the tomato bath saves the day for everybody. The realistic illustrations salt-and-pepper the saucy tale with wry humor, comeuppance, and down-home flavor. Amusing. (Picture book. 4-7)