Socks for Supper

by Jack Kent

When a poor, elderly couple tire of eating their garden turnips for every meal, they discover a way of exchanging socks for food, and what happens to these traded socks leads to a surprise ending

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Christmas, Humor, Friendship, Classics

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

John Wellington "Jack" Kent (1920 – 1985) was an American cartoonist and prolific author-illustrator of children's books. He is perhaps best known as the creator of the comic strip King Aroo. In addition to his own books, he illustrated more than twenty books by other authors.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If not for the cow and its milk and cheese this vegan would have liked this book a lot more. But it’s still a really cute story and it has a lovely ending too. The illustrations are adorable. I especially liked the facial expressions and the shrinking sweater.

Read on Open Library because my libraries have no copies available in any format.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly? I'm amazed that this book is here on goodreads.

It was published back in '78. And I have an old, old copy that we used to read back in the day.

Honestly? I can't be a good judge of this book, as I love it too much from my childhood. I have no idea if it's still in print....

But my gut tells me that if you can find a copy you won't be disappointed.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple discovers the fine art of bartering to put food on their table during the hard times. This one had a laugh-out-loud ending. Another winner by one of my favorite children's book authors.

[Michelle Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a child. I never had my own copy but would borrow it from the library and renew all the time. I had not read it for over 25 years and today I came across a copy at my local library's annual used book sale. It brought tears to my eyes to see it again!
It is a heartwarming story and it has such simple but beautiful illustrations. I always loved the picture of the old man slicing into the cheese at the dinner table....as a child I remember thinking how delicious that cheese looked! I am so excited to be able to share this story with my children!

[Benji Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending made me laugh out loud. For this, I will forgive the illustrator for the upside down knitting needles.

[Megan Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. What goes around comes around, do good & you’ll receive good.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous book, perfect for my preschoolers!

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Socks for Supper by Jack Kent is a 1978 Parents’ Magazine publication. I searched for a copy of this childhood favorite and found one for my current, personal collection (I don’t know what happened to my childhood copy). If you are familiar with Kent’s other work, you will recognize his artwork in his illustration style. The characters have his signature, cartoon-like appearance and the art is done in a spare, mostly primary color palette. Socks for Supper is a sweet story about an old man and his wife. They only grow turnips and eventually wish for something different to eat. His wife has the idea to unravel the old man’s sweater, a little at a time to knit pairs of socks to trade a neighbor for milk and cheese. Eventually, the man’s sweater is totally unraveled and is gone. Readers are so surprised and tickled to discover how the tale ends. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to read this vintage children’s book, you will definitely want to find a copy! Socks for Supper by Jack Kent is am endearing, nostalgic read for me!

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the absolute best book for my economics unit. I LOVED it and so did the kids! It's funny and unexpected, surprising and delightfully illustrated. I used it to teach barter and we had quite a character lesson that occurred spontaneously after reading it. This book is out of print, but well worth the effort it took to order it in through interlibrary loan. Next I need to purchase it. The book really was great.

[Crystal Marcos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. So do my brothers and sisters! We grew up reading this book over and over. I still pick it up and read it once in a while. Well written wonderful little story! If you can get your hands on it snag it up. I believe it has been out of print for a while.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a kids and loved it. I read it to my kids now and it is a pretty frequent selection by them. I wish someone would put all of Jack Kent’s children’s books into a collection. Especially the ones out of print. I would buy it in a heart beat

[A.F. Lamonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I owned this book as a kid, it was a hand-me-down from an older cousin. And I used to read it while eating cheese. I was just telling my own kid about it, which compelled me to find this book and leave this review. Definitely read it to your kids, it's a cute one.

[CatReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. This book taught me that not everyone has the same as someone else and we should help each other when we can. I really wish this book was still in print.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because we loved Dooly by Jack Kent, my sister went on an author binge. This is a funny story with great illustrations. Your little ones (and older) are bound to laugh aloud!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful tale with a lovely ending. Old fashioned illustrations add to the charm

[Sarah Corrieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about kindness, giving, money and the importance of being kind to others.
A poor couple is wanting to trade some of their belongings for milk and cheese. Food that would be considered a delicacy to them. They do not have much to trade but find a pair of socks to trade. The family that has the milk and cheese will happily trade for the socks. The poor couple starts to use thread from the man's sweater to make more socks so they can trade for more milk and cheese. Soon the sweater is completely gone and they no longer have anything to trade for milk and cheese. The man is now also without a shift. The couple with plenty was using the yarn of the socks to also make a sweater. The sweater does not fit the man, so they give it as a gift to the poor man who they noticed no longer had a sweater.
Students learn a great deal about giving and how kind others can be. The rich couple had plenty of milk and cheese and clothing but knew how important it was to the poor couple. Students can learn about trade and money. What would they be willing to trade to receive something of greater importance? Students could also calculate the number of cheese the couple received. Students could also figure out how many pairs of socks were made.

[Chance Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple but complex. It's a classic all the way through.

Cover
The cover is basic but really clever. If you never read this book this cover would really be deceptive but also true to form all at the same time.

Interior
Story
The story is short, and to the point but it also likes to play around. Notice how it repeats the same scene four times. Not to waist time but to strengthen the readers intrigue of what will happen when the farmer runs out of shirt. That alone shows how good of a story it is as payment reaches the climax of the story in such a simple fashion.

Illustration
They are really simple but with this simplicity there is a lot of charm and personality.
The illustration actually tell more of the story than the text to the point the text is pretty much useless.
You can tell our main character are poor especially when you compare to the other couple in the story. Everything from the frame of the house, furnishings, and the tree.
That also goes becomes a with tell of the neighbors aren't trading food for because they are lacking socks.

[Jemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book from my childhood. I remember my mother reading it to me every night before bed. The pictures are less refined and bright than most picture books, but I feel it adds character.

An old man and woman live on a turnip garden. They want to have milk and cheese, but do not have a cow. So the old woman knits some socks out of the old mans sweater, and trades it with their neighbor for milk and cheese. She continues to do this until the sweater is gone. Luckily, their neighbor gifts them back a sweater made from the socks in the end!

[Abbella DiNoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back when I was a toddler. It’s message has stayed with me through the decades. I think of it often. It had the biggest impact on my life. Teaching children about generosity, kindness and the true nature and the act of giving to another. This shaped who I am and who I became and my morals. It’s is a must have in every toddlers library and every parents arsenal especially if you have a child who doesn’t like to give or share. My older sister was one.. lol she couldn’t be saved but damm did it have an impact upon me!

[Amy Bergethon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such fond memories of reading this book to my closest cousin way back when; we would erupt into laughter every time. Now that he is no longer with us, I’ve been searching for a copy of this book that was so special to my cousin and me. Goodreads is the first place I’ve seen it since the early 80s, but seeing it here is encouraging, especially when I read the reviews from others who have their own fond memories. Hope to get my hands on a copy again one day.

[Karen Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot emphasize the importance this book had on my life. I got it for Christmas in 1978, aged 6, and have had it ever since.

The thing that stuck with me was that the old man’s sweater was bigger at the end than at the beginning (because of the extra three socks). Why did it still fit him? Did he eat so much cheese and milk he gained weight? What would they eat later?

Anyway, the logic “flaw” stood out and I later went on to take math and comp sci at university.

[Mort's Kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

"More than 20 years ago, economist Joel Waldfogel dubbed [the concept] the 'deadweight loss of Christmas.' It’s the gap between how much a gift giver spends on a present and how much the recipient values the gift. Waldfogel’s research found that 'holiday gift-giving destroys between 10 percent and a third of the value of gifts.' " -Vox.com, 2016 article

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful way to remind us of small acts of kindness that change the world in so many ways. This story prompted discussions throughout; poor, turnip, knitting, and best of all giving. Let's all have Socks for Supper!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up loving this book, so finding this under the tree this year was an absolute delight. It’s still hilarious with the most charming artwork and it comes full circle brilliantly. I can’t wait to read this to my children someday.

[Anastasia Tuckness · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandma had about 6 children's books in her house, and this was one of them, so it holds a special place in our hearts. I was thankful for the chance to share it with S!

My adult mind did start whirling on what it would be like to be the well-off neighbors, what they should have done, etc.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favorite books from childhood, maybe my all-time-favorite kids book. I just love it for reasons I can't explain!

[Wendi Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!!!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So thrilled to finally have a copy of my own! If you’ve ever wondered what the inspiration for my email address was - this book is it.

[Eleanor W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This s a bit witty not our favorite book, but we did laugh a few times. No one actually eats socks.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thrilling tale of addiction, redemption, friendship.