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BOOK REVIEW: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup By Sharon Creech HarperCollins, 2005. 141 pp. Newberry Medal Winner, Sharon Creech has written many entertaining children's books over the years, including Walk Two Moons, but in Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, she was inspired by her Italian American heritage. As the author writes: When I learned that my daughter was expecting her first child, I began thinking about what it would be like to be a grandparent. In remembering my own grandparents, it seemed that most of my memories of my grandmothers swirled around kitchens and food. There was something important-more important than the meals being made-that took place in those kitchens, and I wanted to explore that. I kept seeing images of my Italian grandmother, with her elfish smile and quick wit, and those images evolved into the character of Granny Torrelli. In this novel, written for children between 8 and 12 years old, Creech explores the themes of family and friendship by focusing on the relationship between Granny Torrelli and her granddaughter Rosie. Most of the novel takes place in the kitchen where Rosie helps her grandmother make soup and pasta and Granny helps Rosie mend her friendship with her best friend Bailey. As Rosie describes her, Granny is "always so calm, so patient" as she imparts wisdom and advice to her 12 year old granddaughter, who is a bit stubborn and a bit emotional. In the kitchen and with cooking as a pretense, Granny advises Rosie, who is not speaking with her friend Bailey, "When you are angry with someone, so angry you are thinking hateful things . . . then you should think of the good things about them, and the nice things they've said, and why you liked them in the first place." To help her granddaughter understand the value of friendship, Granny tells Rosie parallel stories from her own childhood and her friendship with Prado, a boy she left behind in Italy when she came to America. These stories help Rosie explore her own changing feelings for her childhood friend and show her that someone else has lived through the drama and confusion of becoming a teenager. (On a side note, the character of Prado is a further tribute to Creech's family. As she notes, "Granny Torrelli refers to her own childhood friend as Prado, which, in 'real life' was the name of my grandfather.") What Creech does so well in this novel is develop authentic voices for both Rosie and Granny Torrelli. Rosie speaks and acts like a young girl who is dealing with the confusing and mixed-up feelings of a young girl coming into young womanhood. Granny Torrelli speaks with the patience and wisdom of a mentor who has lived through it all. She certainly knows how to get her granddaughter to open up. Rosie says, "That's Granny Torrelli for you. She distracts you, gets you talking about your shoes, and then she asks the question that is really on her mind. I think I should study exactly how she does this. It could come in handy, that skill." In one chapter, Rosie must deal with her feelings of jealously when a new girl on the block, Janine, develops a friendship with Bailey. At one point, Rosie, Granny Torrelli, and Bailey are in the kitchen making pasta when Janine drops by. Rosie's account of the scene is a hilarious description of an awkward moment: Janine is standing outside, waving and smiling. I slink to the door, let her in, arrange my mouth into a smile, but it is so hard . . . She hugs me. Hey, Bailey! she says, and rushes over to squeeze him to bits. And who is this? she says, smiling down at Granny Torrelli sitting in her chair. This is Granny Torrelli, I say, and then I add dumbly, She's mine. While Rosie may be unsure of how to deal with the occasion, Granny Torrelli knows how to deal with such awkward moments: Granny Torrelli smiles at me, then at Janine. You must be Janine. Oh! Janine says, tossing her frizzy cool black hair. You've heard about me then. Granny Torrelli says, I heard a new, nice girl, name of Janine, moved into the neighborhood. I'm figuring that might be you. This brief scene, captured through Rosie's eyes, displays what makes Granny Torrelli Makes Soup such a delightful and yet wise book. Rosie is caught up in her emotions and can barely hide them when she becomes possessive of Granny. (Her comment "She's mine," while brief, is funny and perfectly shows her emotions.) However, acting as a model for her granddaughter. Granny deflects and defuses the tension by being overly kind to the pretentious little girl. Granny Torrelli would make a delightful gift for a child (or grandchild) since it passes on so many important lessons about family and friendship. Asked what life lessons she wanted to pass on to her own granddaughter, Creech has said: Perhaps I am hoping to emulate Granny Torrelli: to be able to listen, to commiserate, and to laugh with my granddaughter. Maybe the lessons I can pass on are similar: appreciate one's friends, take time for family and simple pleasures, be able to laugh at oneself, and be able to step outside oneself-to see the larger world. I also hope to pass on my love of reading to her! Granny Torrelli Makes Soup certainly teaches these lessons and should inspire your children to read even more. Italian Catholic Federation, 8393 Capwell Drive, Suite 110, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE