Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months

Nutshell Library

by Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak, the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of the iconic Where the Wild Things Are, created a warmly loved classic book of months, in verse, with Chicken Soup with Rice. This rhyming book cleverly uses a little boy’s love for soup to teach children the months of the year and features Sendak’s imaginative drawings and lyrical verses. Who says you can only slurp chicken soup with rice in cold January or freezing December? Chicken soup with rice is nice all year round!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Fiction, Classics, Food, Kids

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Maurice Sendak was a visionary American illustrator and writer best known for transforming the landscape of children's literature through his emotionally resonant stories and distinctive artistic style. He gained international acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are, a groundbreaking picture book that captured the emotional intensity of childhood through its honest portrayal of anger, imagination, and longing. Widely recognized for his ability to blend the whimsical with the profound, Sendak created works that resonated with both children and adults, challenging conventional notions of what children's books could be.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was 8-years-old, our enlightened music teacher (who I still remember well, to this day), taught us to “sing” the words to Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice.

(It would be decades before I would discover that Carole King was the person to popularize this and not our third grade class).

I can still sing every word from this book, and I hope all three of my kids can, too, but you might prefer Carole King's vocals to mine:

Carole King's version

My family can confirm that I bawled the day Mr. Sendak died. His books were one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Mr. Sendak gave us poetry and wildness and rhythm. Amazing illustrations, too. I still have all of his books, including my original copy of Chicken Soup, though I bought a new one today for a friend who's having a baby. (Thus the reread and the discovery that I had never reviewed this).

We're purging books here at our house, in preparation for our move next year. . . this one's not going anywhere.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I wish had known about this book when my kids were young! I love Maurice Sendak and so do the kids—his Where the Wild Things Are was a favorite bedtime read (oh the pictures are just so beauteous). None of us ever got tired of it.

Now this! Now this! Julie (Grippo) leads me to the coolest reads, like this gem. I know for a fact that this chicken soup book would have been a scrumptious added treat for the kids.

This little book in verse also comes in the form of a song by Carole King. In the video below, you get to see the fabulous book illustrations as King sings and you read. I don’t dare try to sing it myself, even though it’s a catchy tune; my cat Mr. Bobo would run for cover!

This will take all of five minutes to listen to. It took me to a happy place—it’s just uplifting. Now, of course, I must buy the book and the song.

Thanks, dear Julie, for steering me toward this late-night book delight. Here’s her fun review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And here’s the link to the book/song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woIpD...

Read it and smile.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love rhyming books. They make me happy. There is something magic that happens when the words simply fit together.

This simple book made me smile. Each month talks about how to eat your Chicken soup with rice. There is a beautiful illustration with it. This book is about JOY, that's what it is to do is bring joy to the world and I have to say, it gave me a little. Thank you Maurice!

I've got to go, my Chicken soup with Rice is ready!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading once
reading twice
reading chicken soup
with rice.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom would make me chicken soup with rice and I would read this book...I always remember this book when fall turns into winter because that was the time chicken soup with rice would come back to help keep colds at bay. A memory that will stay with me forever.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have first heard about “Chicken Soup with Rice” on a Weston Woods video where Carole King sings the song “Chicken Soup with Rice” on “Really Rosie.” “Chicken Soup with Rice” is a book about the months of the year by Maurice Sendak that details the months of the year in a poetic way and will surely be an instant favorite for many children who love learning about the months of the year!

I have always loved Carole King’s version of this classic book by Maurice Sendak and when I finally read this book, I was so intrigued by Maurice Sendak’s illustrations and writing in this book. Maurice Sendak did an excellent job at writing this book in a lyrical and poetic way, which makes the book extremely hilarious and creative at the same time by putting hilarious situations with each month described in the book. My favorite poem in the book was the poem about the month of March, which is recited as:

“March

In March the wind
Blows down the door
And spills my soup
Upon the floor.
It laps it up
And roars for more.
Blowing once
Blowing twice
Blowing chicken soup with rice”

Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are truly beautiful and creative as the main colors used in the illustrations are yellow, black, grey, green, and white and also, the illustrations have a somewhat scratchy look that provides the old fashioned feel to the story. Also, the main character, which is a boy, is the same boy that shows up in all of the Nutshell library book series which will help many children realize that this boy is apart of the Nutshell library book series. What I loved the most about these illustrations is that the boy is always shown doing something ridiculous that deals with the month being mentioned such as the image of the boy swimming in the ocean while a turtle is stirring up chicken soup at the bottom of the ocean during the month of July.

“Chicken Soup with Rice” is the perfect book for children to learn about the months of the year in an extremely creative and hilarious way and it will certainly be the cult classic hit of the century! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book that might cause parents to worry.



Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Cookie M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a favorite! I kept this in my babysitter's toolbag for years. In high school and college I amazed my friends by being able to recite the entire story from memory.

[Rand · Rating 5 out of 5]

The edition I read, twice, was a tiny book. It is a wonder how an entire year can fit inside the palm of one's hand and a soup based upon two key ingredients.

As a system of verse, Sendak's treatise presents an important tool for the developing mind/body to learn how to change with the seasons yet remain true to the essentia of homespun nourishment via tried-and-true ingredients. For some that may seem a little wild, but, I think I must go check on my chicken and rice, now.

[Emmeline Guest · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I love (adore, think the world of) Where the Wild Things Are, this is my favorite Maurice Sendak book. I loved it when I was little. I love it now. I love reading it to my son when he is home sick in bed (and requesting nothing but chicken soup with rice).

I love it :)

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A standalone story in the Nutshell Library series for children that has fun exploring seasonal expectations of each month of the year.

My Take
The illustrations are darling — y'all'll get a kick out of Sendak's choices for each month — with a common color theme of blues and yellow. I can't decide if they're engraving-like images with watercolors or if Sendak used aquarelles.

The chapters are titled with the month and a seasonally changing blue, green-and-yellow and yellow background encased in an elaborate curlicue of a ribbon-like black-and-white border.

Each month is a cute rhyme that references the month and time of year and how nice it is to eat chicken soup with rice. January is ice, February is a celebration with his snowman, March is the blowy month while April finds an elephant sharing his soup, and more.

Sendak gets the animal kingdom involved from elephants to robins to turtles to crocodiles to whales as he travels to India, Egypt, the beach, and the backyard. I must confess I'd not get as excited as the children in the illustration about December's offering!

This could be a fun discussion with the kids about the months of the year.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a pale yellow with a subtle green frame encasing a deeper yellow background with the author's name in a deep, deep brown at the top, followed by the title, its subtitle, and the publisher's name at the very bottom. In between is an ornately framed oval of a little boy in blue short pants and jacket prancing as he enjoys a hot bowl of Chicken Soup with Rice.

[Andrew “The Weirdling” Glos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be a silly book, except for one important detail. It is entirely correct: chicken soup with rice is great at any time of the year and in any place, no matter how ridiculous. Sure, maybe that sounds a lot like a cult. But here’s the thing: if the cult comes with chicken soup with rice, who really cares that it’s a cult?

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

5* art
4* rhyme

The repetition in the poems is so satisfying, so inevitable and enjoyable - Sendak is a master.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fondest memory of Chicken Soup with Rice comes from my first grade classroom. My teacher, Mrs. Decker, would copy the poem for each month onto big easel paper and we would all read it together as a class. We also listened to the Carole King recording of the song so many times, that even today, I have it memorized.

The book takes us through the entire year using various references and analogies to chicken soup. In January, the boy in the story eats his soup on ice skates. In February, he celebrates his "snowman's anniversary" (maybe the greatest concept for a holiday ever) by eating soup while the snowman eats cake. In July, he looks into the "cool and fishy deep" to find that "chicken soup is selling cheap" and in August, he becomes a cooking pot, and heats up chicken soup himself. Finally, the year ends with a "baubled bangled Christmas tree" decorated with soup bowls.

Like In the Night Kitchen and Where the Wild Things Are, this book really demonstrates Sendak's unique and surreal outlook on childhood imagination. Chicken soup is a food almost everyone has eaten at one time or another, so the theme of the books feels very familiar and universal, but each monthly chicken soup experience could only come from the mind of someone like Sendak.

Though I love the entire book - for nostalgia's sake as much as anything else - I do have two favorite pages. The first is March, when the wind spills the soup, then "laps it up and roars for more." I can remember being obsessed with that page in the classroom big book of this story, and enjoying the way the wind looked like it was alive. My other favorite is that August page, where the little boy transforms into a pot on the stove, and yet still manages to maintain the same facial features as his human self. As I mentioned in my review of Alligators All Around, I am most impressed by Sendak's ability to make his figures look like two things at once - alligators and lions, a boy and a cooking pot.

Read at drop-in story time on 11/9/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Pajama Story Time on 1/9/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Laken Doom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicken soup with rice: A book of months was written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. This books follows his typical ways at witty and some what abnormal humor. The book has a new rhyme for every month ending in "Chicken soup with rice". Each month has a title saying its name and also has an illustration to go along with the rhyme on each page. My favorite month inside the book was July, it read: "In July I'll take a peep into the cool and fishy deep where chicken soup is selling cheap. Selling once selling twice selling chicken soup and rice. The illustration on the opposite page has the boy under water with a turtle cooking the soup. The sky is shown in small pen strokes but they all come together to form clouds in the sky. I would choose this book as a read aloud to younger children if I could find a large enough copy for students to see. It helps them learn rhyming words and also the months and what the weather is like during those times. Students would enjoy the simplistic pictures and the poetry aspect of it would help them create their own poems. By looking at how the words were placed on each page, also how the words rhyme the students would get an idea of how to format their poetry. At the end of every line inside this poem the author also has a consistent rhythm and repeating sentence at the end of each page, helping younger students have a easier time writing poetry.

[Tressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read this book as a child, but a children's librarian recommended it to me when I was teaching my son about the months of the year. I took to it immediately and loved reading it aloud to my 5 year old.

While reading it he told me he already knew the February rhyme, and I was confused about this since it was the first time I read it to him. At a school open house months later, he showed me a huge flip poster with the Chicken Soup with Rice monthly rhymes written on it. It's how they were learning the months. Now whenever we get to the ones he knows, he'll read them.

From this book a very sweet memory was made.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic book of months. I love it... the illustrations, the rhymes, the repetition... it's all so fun! It was short enough to keep Caleb's attention now (7.5 months), but will also be great for him when he's older and learning about the months and seasons of the year.

[Maximilian Nightingale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book many years ago, many many times. It is still a great delight. I read it once, I read it twice, I read it: Chicken Soup with Rice.

[Rosalinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Main Character/s: A Young Boy
Setting: Each month has a new setting
POV: N/A

Summary: This book is great for introducing the months of the year to young students. Each month has its own special rhyme that always ends with chicken soup with rice. The words used in each rhyme create great visuals for young readers. The visuals and aided illustrations for each rhyme helps the readers follow along. The title of each rhyme is the name of the month. Visually seeing the name of the month and having a rhyme to remember that month will aid all young students to learn about the months of the year. This book has great illustrations that were created by the author and his illustrations are humorous and engaging. The book includes a repeated sentence at the end of each poem and since the structure of the poem remains the same it would be easy to follow.
Classroom uses/theme: I would use this book in my preschool classroom because it is a great way to introduce the alphabet to toddlers. There is no story to this book therefore it would be used as a resource and a conversational piece to introduce the toddlers to the alphabet. Each page has one letter with images that begin with that letter. The toddlers begin to associate the images and sounds to each letter on the page.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to review this book with any amount of objectivity, since every time I so much as look at the cover, I hear my own five-year-old voice chanting "Whoopee once, whoopee twice, WHOOPEE CHICKEN SOUP WITH RICE!". But I'll try.

A charming children's book, perfect for small children who like poetry with a strong rhythm or beat. It taught me my months, it taught me the basic pattern of the weather and the holidays, and it left me with an unresolved obsession to find out what sort of magic chicken soup that kid is eating. (This soup can be poured on toast, floated down, and used as a sort of poor man's Miracle Gro to perk up roses. Versatile recipe.) The illustrations are classic Sendak, the idea is fairly simple, and all in all it's a very good book for education and for read-alouds with smaller children.

The only problem is that the words will stick in your head, and you will never get them out again.

[Holly Crepps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It not only has a really fluid rhyme in it, but it also helps to teach about the months. This book is about a little boy who shares his experiences with Chicken Soup and Rice in every month of the year. The rhymes are easy to follow, and would help to keep young children's attention. The illustrations of this book are wonderful, too. I really liked the one where the wind is eating chicken soup off of the floor in the month of March. I would use this book with a younger audience of probably first or second grade. It is repetitive and would lose the interest of older children more quickly than younger ones. I would use this book as a read-aloud and maybe even create a tune for it to be sung like a song in a music lesson.

[shranicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chicken Soup with Rice is a book of poems about a guy who likes to eat chicken soup with rice. There are poems for each month of the year and in each poem, there are repetitions of the words “once and twice” and “chicken soup with rice”. It’s a very funny poem book because it’s so random. I think that Sendak did a good job of keeping you interested. It can also help to teach children the months of the year and provides the opportunity to do several different activities with it. I also really love all of the illustrations in the book, it helps to make it. I definitely recommend this book of poetry to anyone who likes poetry.

[Emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sendak, Maurice. Chicken Soup with Rice; A Book of Months. [New York]: Harper & Row, 1962.

*Predictable

-This is a collection of poems about each month and eating chicken soup with rice during those months.

Themes
-Months of the year

Activities to do with children
-Use this to reinforce the months of the year. Have students predict what month comes next and some of the things that may be included in the poem about that month
-Have pairs of students create a page for a month of the calendar. Have them illustrate the calendar to correctly represent the month. Also have them include any special holidays or events that fall into their month.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love simple and fun, and what could be more simple than Maurice Sendak's calendar of chicken soup love, or more fun than Chicken Soup With Rice's celebration of imagination?

Naked boys In the Night Kitchen with Oliver Hardy, I suppose ;)

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave Sendak's tiny Nutshell Library to my daughter when she was about three. We read those delightful concept books countless times. Then we discovered the Weston Woods video Really Rosie which integrated an original storyline about a young diva with Sendak's books and music by the incomparable Carole King. Jackpot! Ever since, "Chicken Soup with Rice," "Pierre," and "One Was Johnny" sing in my mind. What better way to learn the seasons and months than by reading, singing, and eating Chicken Soup with Rice?"

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carole King's "Really Rosie" album was my jam in the early eighties. My Cool Aunt Edie gave me the record (yes, the record!) and I wore that sucker out. Only later did I discover the Nutshell Library and Maurice Sendak's genius little books that inspired "Really Rosie.". And what should come across my desk today but "Chicken Soup with Rice" taking me back to the days of Cabbage Patch Kids and Strawberry Shortcake (the real one, not the tween) and rocking out to "Alligators All Around" and "Pierre" in mismatched socks and leg warmers. What an awesome way to start a Saturday at the library!

[Rukia Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm already a fan of Sendak's work but this is amongst my favorite! He once again captures the reader's imagination in with two things that I love;food and humorous rhymes.The book takes you through the months and season of the year with a young man's simple request ,chicken soup with rice! The book is also wonderful to sing, check out Carole King's singing the words from the book and join in! Fun,fun fun!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I've loved it since I was very young. The silly poems and illustrations were perfect for my slightly twisted personality. I also like to sing along to the poems. It was a frequent check-out from DuVall's school library.

This is a fun read aloud for one on one sharing. The small format makes it difficult to share with a larger group. If you can find a "big book" format, it would be great storytime book.

[Gaby Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this story. I would use it in my classroom to introduce months of the year. My students could make their own calendar and keep it for themselves or give to someone as a gift. I would even use the calendar to talk about what type of pictures we would draw for each month and how our seasons during the year. I could use this book to discuss the amount of days we have in each month as well.

[Yessenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cute. It goes through the twelve months of the year while describing what happens to the chicken soup with rice. The pictures are also very cute and go somewhat along with the words. I would recommend this book for anyone trying to teach the months of the year. The words are all very descriptive and help visualize what is happening to the soup. The soup is affected by the weather in each month. I like how it's a simple book but it can teach students new words.

[Slytano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice Sendak LOVES chicken soup with rice. He eats it every month. I'm not kidding. Every page he pronounces his affection for chicken soup with rice.

This is a FANTASTIC read-aloud. The only problem is that my hands are bigger than this tiny book. I don't know if I just got a really small copy, but it is just too small. I can't read this to more than one person at a time.

I love this book.