Quill Soup

One Story, Many Voices

by Alan Durant, Dale Blankenaar (Illustrator)

Noko, the porcupine, is very hungry. On arriving at a village, he asks the other animals for some food and shelter. But, despite their full bellies, all the animals say they have nothing to spare. Never mind: he’ll just have to make do and cook a pot of soup from the quills off his back – a soup so tasty even the king likes it. Once the villagers hear of his plan they offer just enough ingredients to make a soup worthy of them all...

This African version of Stone Soup celebrates generosity and kindness - and the message that we can all benefit if we share our resources.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Food, Nonfiction, Folklore, Folk Tales

Hardcover

First published June 13, 2019

About the author

Alan Durant is the author of books for a wide age-range, from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers (Blood, Flesh and Bones). Having worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, he is now a full-time author.

He's married, with three children and lives just outside London. He does a lot of school visits throughout the UK and abroad and also runs writing workshops.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is lovely, would make beautiful fabric print, it was a busy and overwhelming in places, it made it hard to follow the story but it was really interesting to look at.

The story is a South African version of stone soup. I've read too many stone soup stories to enjoy this greatly, but it was a nice enough retelling and I'm sure this would be a fun read for children.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the art style but honestly it was a little overwhelming and made it hard for me to process the story/what was happening in the pictures.

[Janique Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute story follows a porcupine named Noko who has been traveling through a valley and is hungry and tired. In the distance, he spots a village and gets excited, but the villages tell everyone to run and hide. When Noko arrived at the village the place was silent. When he knocked on the first door and asked for some food, the warthog replied no and closed the door. He went to several houses and they told him they didn't have any spare food cause it was a poor village. He knew that the villagers were lying because they had rounded bellies so he came up with a plan. He asked for a fire and a pot of water, stating he'll make his own food. He plucked three quills from his back and dropped them in the pot, saying that the king even enjoyed his Quill soup. He would then ask for ingredients that the villagers would quickly fetch. When the soup was done, he shared it with everyone. I really liked the art style in this book and we got to see African animals that aren't depicted as much such as a pangolin. A very cute story about a clever little porcupine.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quill Soup offers a fresh and engaging retelling of the classic Stone Soup folktale, set in a vibrant South African context and brought to life with native animal characters. Noko, a weary and hungry porcupine, arrives in a village hoping for a meal. However, the local animals are reluctant to share their food with a stranger.

In a clever twist, Noko announces he can make a soup fit for a king, if only he had a pot and some water. Intrigued, each animal contributes a single ingredient, eager to taste this royal dish. What unfolds is a story of transformation, as suspicion gives way to sharing, and a humble porcupine brings a community together through ingenuity and a little trickery.

Though Noko's approach is somewhat sly (he suspects the villagers are being dishonest and responds with a bit of deception) his actions ultimately spark a spirit of generosity. The story ends on a heartwarming note, reminding readers that kindness and openness can turn strangers into friends.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noko visits a new town and is not welcomed by the villagers. He has travelled for a long time and needs some food but no one has any to share until he begins to make soup he says he has made for the king. Then each house adds something Noko needs to the pan. This is a good book to encourage discussions about inclusion and how we treat new people or strangers. The kindness and friendship comes through at the end. A good book for lower KS2 and KS1 children. The illustrations are very bold and abstract which children may enjoy. They could take inspiration from the images for their own artwork.

[Geertje Bluekens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over de hele wereld hebben landen een eigen versie van het verhaal “stone soup”. Alan Durant maakt er hier samen met de Zuid-Afrikaanse illustrator Dale Blankenaar een Afrikaanse versie van. En ik vind het een feestje. Kleurrijk en uitbundig geïllustreerd op een verfrissende manier die je niet vaak in prentenboeken voor kleuters ziet. Er komen best moeilijke woorden voor in dit boek, maar de context verklaart veel.
Dit boek is een ode aan delen en gastvrijheid maar ook aan alle (bedreigde) dieren.

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great and satisfying "stone soup" variant! When Noko the Porcupine comes to town, nobody will share their food with him until he starts to cook "Quill Soup," which he tells the townspeople that he's made for the King. Suddenly they are eager to share their food so that they might taste this regal meal. The illustrations are wild and entrancing, a feast for the eyes. All of the characters are animals.

Themes: Sharing, Community, Cooking, Food
Age range: 3-10

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durant offers us a lovely Stone Soup story with Dale Blankenaar's appealing bright illustrations. The story is set in Africa and the animals are likely less known to my students, but will be engaging, for sure. Noko the porcupine is the stranger looking for food and resident monkeys, pangolin, aardvark, rabbits, meerkat and more are typically intrigued when Noko begins to make quill soup in the center of the town.

I love Stone Soup stories and will certainly add this one to my collections!

[A Severs · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to look at in these amazing illustrations and a story to really make you think. My reception-aged daughter and I spent a lot of time poring over Quill Soup looking for animals hidden in the wilds of the pictures and picking up clues about how honest the animals were really being. A brilliant reselling of Stone Soup.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this retelling of the "Stone Soup" folktale, the stranger who comes to the village is a porcupine named Noko. The vibrant, richly layered art by South African illustrator Dale Blankenaar use stylized, blocky shapes and bold shades of red, blue, yellow, green, and black to depict an environment teeming with biodiversity.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quill Soup, as the title explains, is a Stone Soup story. In the story, a porcupine traveler asks villagers for food but they all turn him away. Porcupine has a plan and begins making the King's favorite soup. When the villagers hear the King loves it, they quickly find the ingredients needed. This rendition comes from South Africa and the illustrations are all also made by a South African.

[Rebecca Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Stone Soup, and this was an excellent cultural retelling. The illustrations are detailed and a little abstract. I liked how you could see the animals eating the food inside their houses that they had claimed not to have.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique take on the stone soup story. This one gives a tale of porcupine using his quills to start the soup. The porcupine has the gift of drawing in the others.
The colors are not pleasing to me, but the story is well done.

[Jennifer Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful retelling of the stone soup story. Great illustrations, and some not usually seen animals make this delightful.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations! Gorgeous.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

(for children's lit)

[Megan Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this version of stone soup. The illustrations are fun!

[S]

I enjoyed the story and the illustrations.

[Christy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Spanish version of Stone Soup.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

This was a great version of Stone Soup! The illustrations are so colorful and inviting.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book about the importance of sharing. There’s an interesting message about the treatment of immigrants in there too, somewhere, if you care to read between the lines.

[Brenda Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This folklore about a traveling porcupine named Noko can not get any food from the other animals, so he asks for some fire and water. He announces he will make quill soup, he pulls some quills from his back and place them in the water. He continued to say that it was the king's favorite meal. Eventually, everyone wanted to contribute a different vegetable to the soup. Noko had enough for a tasty meal to shared with everyone. Noko teaches the animal what it means to be generous and the true nature of hospitality. This book is appropriate for ages 3-7 years old, and this book was awarded a White Raven 2020.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folktale retelling. In this version of Stone Soup, a porcupine has been traveling and wants to rest and get some food. However, none of the animals will give him any food. So he starts quill soup, which he has made for the king. Hearing this, the animals are curious and all of a suden able to find food. When everybody comes together, they are able to make a delicious quill soup that feeds everyone. I liked the idea of retelling this tale with animals. The illustrations are quite unique, done in a limited color palette and almost abstract manner. Looking closely at them, you can see into the animal homes and see all of the food they have but are not sharing. I especially liked when porcupine visited the monkeys and asked for spare food, you can see a bag literally labeled "spare food" right inside the door. As with the original, this is a great book to discuss strength in community. It would also be cool to tie this in with an art project using the same color scheme.

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, colorful retelling of the folktale Stone Soup.

[Sorca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a witty tale with a brilliant message about the importance of sharing our resources and welcoming strangers. Despite the other animals being suspicious of Noko the porcupine because he is a stranger, the resourceful character manages to win over the entire village with his cooking skills! The illustrations are so vibrant and striking - they make the story come alive! The tale is based on the African version of Stone Soup and you can see that inspiration come through in the bold, kaleidoscopic illustrations!

[Tia Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and modern take on the classic "Stone Soup" tale. Very cute and sweet. I also really liked the art style of this, but I do think it has the potential to be overwhelming for someone with sensory overload. It can be a bit much on some pages so be wary of that before going into it. Besides that though, this is a very nice story!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great retelling of the classic stone soup story. Beautiful, colorful illustrations that kept my 5 year old engaged.