Bravery Soup

Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Genre: Fantasy

Grade Levels: Preschool-2^nd

Have you ever been afraid of anything? Felt like you couldn’t do something? We are all scared of something: the dark, lightning, or maybe even being alone. But poor Carlin the raccoon was afraid of EVERYTHING! Read the story and find out how Carlin finds his bravery.

Carlin is scared of everything, even his own shadow. Carlin goes to see Big Bear, the bravest animal in all the land. Big Bear is stirring up a batch of Bravery Soup, but he is missing an important ingredient. He asks Carlin to go and get it. Big Bear tells Carlin this soup will make you brave, but you must get the missing ingredient ALONE. This frightened Carlin and his knees started to shake, but he listened to Big Bear’s directions. He has to go through Forbidden Forestto Skull Mountain and into a cave to retrieve a box. This box had what Big Bear needed for his soup. Carlin prepared for his journey with some helpful gifts from his friends. The little raccoon makes his way through the forest, across the river, and up the mountain, and there he faces a dark cave. Carlin enters the cave. He casts a huge shadow from on top of some boulders and demands the box in his loudest voice. Could it be true the monster was afraid of Carlin. He grabs the box and hurries back to Big Bear. Carlin opens the box, and discovered that it was EMPTY!

The box was empty all along! But Carlin DID get the special ingredient for the bravery soup. Carlin faced his fears. “It is not what is inside the BOX that makes bravery. It is what is inside YOU!” “It’s called Bravery Soup because I only serve it to the brave!” Big Bear says, and Carlin most certainly earned a bowl.

The lesson in Bravery Soup is one that every child can relate to. Carlin’s story will build confidence in young children and persuade them that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to. Carlin was terrified to make this journey, but he was determined. Bravery is a very important trait to have, and young readers will discover it is not something tangible, but it is something that is already there, they just have to be encouraged to look.

The illustrations, also done by Cocca-Leffler, are bold and vibrant. She uses watercolor to paint the friendly animals and the beautiful blended colors of scenery. Bravery Soup is a perfect example of fantasy. Cocca-Leffler uses animals as main characters that walk on two legs, talk, and go on adventures. Although the characters are animals, Cocca-Leffler does an amazing job of giving them emotion and human-like qualities. With the illustrated arms, hands, eyes, and the face the reader can tell exactly what is going on without even reading the text. Carlin is scared when he has to embark on his journey, ALONE, to get the important ingredient for Big Bear’s soup. Determination is shown when Carlin doesn’t give up, and pride and happiness is felt when Carlin reaches the cave. These are all emotions that humans feel on a regular basis, and by giving an animal these feelings is what makes this book fantasy.

I would have Bravery Soup in my classroom library to show the importance of self-image. “You are braver than you think” as Big Bear would say. In first and second grade, especially, there are a lot of fears and doubts, and this book will help show young readers that the only way to conquer your fears is to face them. Carlin had a bunch of friends to help him prepare for his journey. This is also important to show students that when you try something new or have something you’re afraid of, you will have tons of support and it’s not as scary as you thought. There is no secret ingredient; it is what's inside yourself.

The story of Bravery Soupcould be used in the classroom to teach a unit about the structure of a story. There is a beginning/introduction, middle (climax) and an end. And by the end they will learn the message in the story. The plot of the story begins with a problem, then there is a journey that is made, and the story concludes with a lesson.

Bravery Soup will also teach children about sequence. There is a specific order in which Carlin reaches his destination. First Carlin makes his way through the forest, then across the river, then up the mountain and into the cave. He then makes that same journey in the opposite direction on his way back. This is an important part of the story, and by knowing the order of Carlin's adventure makes it easier to retell the story.

MA ELA Framework (Pre-K to Second grade)

Pre K-1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about a story or poem read aloud.

Pre K-2 With prompting and support, retell a sequence of events from a story read aloud.

K-1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

1- 2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

Pre K-3 With prompting and support, act out characters and events from a story or poem read aloud.

K-3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

2-3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

1-4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

2-5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Pre K-6 With prompting and support, can “read” the illustrations in a picture book by describing a character or place depicted, or by telling how a sequence of events unfolds

Pre K-7 With prompting and support, make predictions about what happens next in a picture book after examining and discussing the illustrations.

K-7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

1-7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

2-7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

2-8.A Identify dialogue as words spoken by characters (usually enclosed in quotation marks) and explain what dialogue adds to a particular story or poem.

Pre K-9 With prompting and support, make connections between a story or poem and one’s own experiences.