Tumbleweed Stew: A Delightful Picture Book About a Clever Rabbit Who Gets Everyone to Add Something Special

by Susan Stevens Crummel, Janet Stevens (Illustrator)

Jack Rabbit says it's a great day to make tumbleweed stew, but who wants to eat that? With a bit of ingenuity, Jack soon has everyone from Armadillo to Vulture adding something to his delectable stew.

Genres: Picture Books, Spanish Literature, Storytime, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Tea73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no problem with retelling traditional tales in new settings, but the story has a weirdly stretched out beginning where the Jack Rabbit goes to a nearby ranch and doesn't get the Longhorn cattle involved in his scam. I also was not crazy about the illustrations which got overly busy and hard to read. The words are mostly in boxes with English in black and Spanish in reddish brown, except at the back where there is an activity to make trail mix (why not soup?) The Spanish translations are occasionally a bit different from the English for example, in English the rabbit arrives at "a big gate" but in Spanish it's a "porton de la cerca".

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a book that can help your bilingual children better understand Spanish? Then look no further than this one! The setting of this book is on a dry and dusty ranch. The protagonist in this story is Jack Rabbit and he is on a mission to make tumbleweed stew. The main conflict is that the antagonists in this book are all against helping Jack make the stew because they don’t believe in it, but in the falling action all the other characters help Jack make his stew and the book ends happily. No need to persuade you anymore to go out and buy this book for your bilingual child!

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm, a bit too much like Stone Soup, and if you know anything about tumbleweeds, they have sharp parts that stick in your feet, so it wouldn't make a good soup. Also, there ate too many words that a level 2 reader wouldn't know.

[Shelley Alongi]

Tricky jack rabbit. I thought this book was cute. I love reading little books like this. Besides being cute, it teaches children what goes in a stew.

[Mellanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute southwestern variation of stone soup!

[J.R. LaMar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations but this story was way too similar to the well-known stone soup story. Didn’t feel all that original.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as Stone Soup, but an okay western take on it.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tumbleweed Stew is just another version of Stone Soup. I used it to compare stories of the same genre or topic. This one involves animals, but the rabbit still gets everyone to contribute to make a great stew, which he claimed was called Tumbleweed Stew.

[Claudia Naranjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story! It is about a rabbit, Jac, who is very creative. He starts tumbleweed stew that ends being delicious!!!!
I like the fact that the author is from Texas and she uses local animals as characters.
Teachers may use this story along with Stone Soup for a lesson on comparing and contrasting.

[Alexander The Triumphant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Rabbit says it's a great day to make tumbleweed stew, but who wants to eat that? I liked this book because Jack Rabbit wakes up in the night to eat Tumbleweed Stew, instead of the morning. -by Alexander

[Renee M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that it's a version of stone soup set in Texas using native flora and fauna. I'll be using it for comparative literature. However, the story (and quality of writing) is a little thin compared to other versions. It doesn't really stand alone as a meaningful piece of children's lit.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun desert version of Stone Soup.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny Western version of Stone Soup tales. My boys (ages 5) especially love this one.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Texas animals makin' some Texas "stone soup". A fun read-a-loud and your listeners will be delighted to join in listing the various ingredients. Add to your Texas themed unit study.