Soup: Poetic, Primordial, and More

THE MATHEMATICS OF…Yes, SOUP

	Stuart V. Murphy’s Seaweed Soup (HarperCollins, 2001), a MathStart 1 book, introduces readers to the concept of one-to-one correspondence, as they match numbers of places, bowls, cups, and spoons to number of guests – all invited to sit down and share Turtle’s awful green seaweed soup. For ages 4-7.
	From the Math Is Fun website, Soup Can is a multi-part geometry puzzle in which kids calculate the amount of metal in a soup can. Included are step-by-step instructions and spin-off permutations for kids to tackle on their own.
	The mathematics of alphabet soup? From the New York Times, read a short article on the (impressive) geometry of pasta at Pasta Graduates from Alphabet Soup.
	George L. Legendre’s Pasta by Design (Thames & Hudson, 2011) covers 92 different kinds of pasta with photographs, brief histories, culinary uses, and the mathematical formulas that describe each shape.
	By Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy, The Geometry of Pasta (Quirk Books, 2010) is a collection of recipes combined with wonderful graphic illustrations of pastas and histories of pasta shapes.

ARTISTIC SOUP

	From the Museum of Modern Art, Campbell’s Soup Cans has an image of Andy Warhol’s iconic soup can paintings with brief background information.
	From Neatorama, Everything You Wanted to Know About Andy Warhol’s Soup is a catchy list.
	Mike Venezia’s Andy Warhol (Children’s Press, 1997) in the Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists Series covers Warhol’s life and art and provides information on the Pop Art movement. Illustrated with photos, color reproductions, and clever little cartoons. For ages 5-9.
	James Warhola’s Uncle Andy’s (Putnam Juvenile Books, 2003) – written by Andy Warhol’s nephew – is the picture-book story of a childhood visit to eccentric Uncle Andy’s fabulous apartment in New York City, crammed with cats, paintings of soup cans, and a wealth of whacky stuff that Uncle Andy insisted was art. For ages 5-9.
	Susan Goldman Rubin’s colorful picture-book biography Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter (Harry N. Abrams, 2006) covers Warhol’s life and art with many quotations by and about Warhol, plus a timeline, resource list, and list of museums exhibiting Warhol’s work. For ages 9 and up.
	From Dick Blick, Souper Art is a “whimsical introduction to nutrition and graphic design” in which kids invent and design a label for an imaginary soup. The site has instructions and some great examples of student work. Adaptable for a wide range of ages.

SOUP AT THE MOVIES

	See Soupsong’s Soup Goes to Movies for an amazingly long alphabetized list of movies that feature – in some way or another – soup.
	In Pixar’s Ratatouille (2007), Remy, a Parisian rat, dreams of becoming a chef. He ends up in the restaurant once belonging to famous chef Anton Gusteau – now fallen on hard times – where he makes his mark by salvaging a ruined pot of soup. Rated G.
	In the classic 1933 Marx Brothers’ movie Duck Soup, wealthy Mrs. Teasdale saves Freedonia from bankruptcy on the condition that Rufus T. Firefly – Groucho Marx – becomes the country’s president/dictator. Mayhem ensures, as Firefly and Ambassador Trentino of the neighboring country of Sylvania go to war over the hand of Mrs. Teasdale.
	In the 1935 movie Curly Top, Shirley Temple plays an adorable curly-haired orphan who, along with her older sister, is adopted by a wealthy benefactor. It’s in this film that Shirley (in overalls) sings the popular soup song “Animal Crackers in My Soup.” Check it out at YouTube here.