Sharon Creech’s skills aren’t
immediately apparent because her writing seems so natural and simple.  But in a
series of books, she has shown a wonderful ability to write stories for
children in blank verse that are full of feeling and fun.  In Granny Torrelli
Makes Soup, young Rosie struggles with her jealousy when a new girl moves
to town and wins the attention of her best friend Bailey.  Bailey lives next
door, and he is blind.  Rosie is used to helping him do many daily tasks, but
when he comes over to help make soup with her Granny Torrelli, she learns that
he is able to do much on his own.  Rosie has so many feelings and moods that
she is barely able to control herself when she gets annoyed or upset, but she
is so full of enthusiasm and love when things are going well.  She learns from
her Granny Torrelli’s stories about her past how to cope with life and her
brimming emotions.  In the 2-hour audiobook, Donna Murphy reads the story with
great gusto, and if you weren’t listening carefully, you would not notice that
each chapter is a poem.  If you do listen carefully, it becomes clear how well
crafted these poems are, enabling them to convey Rosie’s whirl of emotions so
directly.  Wonderful stuff!

© 2004 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Links:

·                   
Review of Heartbeat,
by Sharon Creech

·                   
Review of Love That
Dog, by Sharon Creech