Creech, S. (2003). Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. HarperCollins.
In this selection, Sharon Creech has formatted the writing to be spaced out and thus reading the book seems to flow quickly because of the double spacing used between dialogue and paragraph switching. The voice that the story is written is told from the perspective of the main character, twelve year old Rosie. Rosie tells the story in present tense when she is talking with her Granny Torrelli, and in past tense when she is talking about the past, it is typically told in past tense, and rather than cluttering the pages with quotation marks, spoken words are written in italics to differentiate them from the storytelling text. The bulk of the story involves Rosie reflecting with her Granny Torrelli about the current angst that she is feeling with her best friend, Bailey, just a week in difference from the age of Rosie, and have spent their lives growing up next door to each other. Since Rosie is talking to you as the reader, the problem between Rosie and Bailey unfolds petal by petal, with clues leading you to use your skills of inference to realize that Bailey has a sight impairment and this leads to Bailey having challenges that Rosie doesn’t have to deal with in life.
Rosie was hurt with Bailey’s words, “Get over yourself!” which was said “in that cold voice and slam the door in my face as if I am nobody.” Rosie is only seeing her own perspective of this, and it is through her Granny Torrelli’s subtle ways that she comes to understand Bailey’s perspective on the situation. It is done in the kitchen, through the main activity of making soup, or zuppa as her Italian Grandma calls it. Granny Torrelli gently walks Rosie through discussing elements of the problem and her thoughts, and lending Bailey’s possible point of view to the situation. The problem is amplified when a new and very friendly girl named Janine moves into the neighborhood, threatening Bailey and Rosie’s friendship on another level. Grannny also relates to Rosie by sharing about a special friendship that she had with a girl named Violetta and then with a new boy named Marco. In the end, with her wisdom and insight on life, as well as tender heart, leads Rosie to understand Bailey better, and be open to the changes life brings. The story culminates with friends, new and old, with family, enjoying the “fruits of their labor,” the zuppa, which was created while working through problems. This book shows a realistic portrait of friendships between children, still told in a tender way, leaving Rosie as well as the reader to walk away with being reminded of what to cherish and appreciate in life.
In this selection, Sharon Creech has formatted the writing to be spaced out and thus reading the book seems to flow quickly because of the double spacing used between dialogue and paragraph switching. The voice that the story is written is told from the perspective of the main character, twelve year old Rosie. Rosie tells the story in present tense when she is talking with her Granny Torrelli, and in past tense when she is talking about the past, it is typically told in past tense, and rather than cluttering the pages with quotation marks, spoken words are written in italics to differentiate them from the storytelling text. The bulk of the story involves Rosie reflecting with her Granny Torrelli about the current angst that she is feeling with her best friend, Bailey, just a week in difference from the age of Rosie, and have spent their lives growing up next door to each other. Since Rosie is talking to you as the reader, the problem between Rosie and Bailey unfolds petal by petal, with clues leading you to use your skills of inference to realize that Bailey has a sight impairment and this leads to Bailey having challenges that Rosie doesn’t have to deal with in life.
Rosie was hurt with Bailey’s words, “Get over yourself!” which was said “in that cold voice and slam the door in my face as if I am nobody.” Rosie is only seeing her own perspective of this, and it is through her Granny Torrelli’s subtle ways that she comes to understand Bailey’s perspective on the situation. It is done in the kitchen, through the main activity of making soup, or zuppa as her Italian Grandma calls it. Granny Torrelli gently walks Rosie through discussing elements of the problem and her thoughts, and lending Bailey’s possible point of view to the situation. The problem is amplified when a new and very friendly girl named Janine moves into the neighborhood, threatening Bailey and Rosie’s friendship on another level. Grannny also relates to Rosie by sharing about a special friendship that she had with a girl named Violetta and then with a new boy named Marco. In the end, with her wisdom and insight on life, as well as tender heart, leads Rosie to understand Bailey better, and be open to the changes life brings. The story culminates with friends, new and old, with family, enjoying the “fruits of their labor,” the zuppa, which was created while working through problems. This book shows a realistic portrait of friendships between children, still told in a tender way, leaving Rosie as well as the reader to walk away with being reminded of what to cherish and appreciate in life.
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