Published: May 1, 2000

For Kids

PUMPKIN SOUP , by Helen Cooper. (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, $15; grades K-1.) Squirrel, Cat, and Duck, three of the most adorable friends that ever were, live together in an old white cabin deep in the woods. They keep a garden full of pumpkins, and every night they chow down on pumpkin soup, which they cook up together—the cat always slicing the pumpkins, the squirrel stirring in the water, and the duck adding just the right amount of salt.

After dinner, the three make music—Cat always on bagpipes, Squirrel on banjo, and Duck on vocals-before snuggling into bed. As anyone can see, the three friends live in harmony, each with his own special jobs to do.

And so it goes until the morning Duck wakes up and decides that he would like to wield the spoon for a change. "Today it's my turn to stir the soup," he announces,...