Quill Soup
A hungry porcupine tricks a village of animals who will not share into cooking a feast together, in a funny seven-minute audiobook for young children.
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What is Quill Soup about?
Quill Soup is an audiobook for young children about Noko the porcupine, a tired and hungry traveller who finds a clever way to get a village that will not share to cook a feast together.
Noko has travelled through the valley of a thousand hills and has not eaten for days. When the animals of a small village see a stranger coming, they run and hide. Warthog says she ate all her food at lunch, Rabbit blames his greedy brother, and Monkey says they are poor villagers with nothing to spare. Aardvark, Meerkat and Pangolin all say the same, but Noko can see from their sleek coats and round bellies that they are not telling the truth.
So he asks only for a fire and a big pot of water, and drops in three of his own quills to make quill soup: the soup, he says, that the king loves. Each time he tastes it, it needs just one more thing, and the curious villagers run to fetch carrots, mealies, beans, peas, potatoes, spinach and even a few worms. Soon the soup is thick and rich, and there is plenty for everyone.
The animals who turned him away now share bowl after bowl with him in the firelight and give him the best bed in the village. Many parents will know the old folk tale of stone soup behind it. It is written by Alan Durant, illustrated by Dale Blankenaar, published by Tiny Owl and read by Paul Panting, and it is music-free.
What your child will learn
- Sharing what we have makes everyone happier, and there is often enough for all.
- We should welcome travellers and guests, not turn them away.
- Telling lies to get out of sharing is wrong.
- A generous idea can bring people together, but Noko's story about the king was a trick: talk about whether he needed it.
Talk about it afterwards
- Why did the villagers say they had no food?
- How did Noko know they were not telling the truth?
- Was it fair for Noko to say he cooked for the king? Why or why not?
- How did the villagers feel once they had shared the soup?
- How can we welcome a guest to our home?
Frequently asked questions
What is Quill Soup about?
A hungry porcupine gets a village of animals who would not share to cook a feast together, and by the end they are friends.
How long is Quill Soup?
About 7 minutes.
Does Quill Soup have music?
No. It is music-free.
