A toddler’s version of reading together can be wonderfully unpredictable.
You might finish the page. You might spend five minutes pointing at one carrot. You might discover that “puff!” needs to be said seventeen times before anyone is willing to move on.
That’s the kind of reading I had in mind for Oliver the Owl’s Alphabet Soup: a little kitchen adventure with things to find, sounds to repeat, and plenty of room for a child to join in.
Oliver brings the soup. You bring your best sound effects.
The little boy who brought an old idea back to life
I started writing Alphabet Soup in the fall of 2024. It was originally going to be the second title in the Oliver the Owl series, but A Sweet Season came first. The alphabet story stayed tucked away in my plans.
Then my grandson gave me a reason to pull it back out.
Around his first birthday, he was joining in while his mom sang the ABC song—clapping, singing along in his own way, and getting excited about it all.
Watching him made me picture a different kind of Oliver book. Something small enough for little hands, with sturdy pages and a story we could enjoy together long before he could read the words himself.
I could practically hear our version already: me reading, him helping, and both of us getting distracted by something delicious in the picture.
An alphabet you can almost taste
In Alphabet Soup, the ABCs lead readers through Oliver’s kitchen as he makes a pot of soup.
A is for apron. B is for bowl. C is for carrot.
The letters connect with ingredients, kitchen objects, and actions woven into Oliver’s story. There are things a child might recognize, things to name together, and things to look for the next time you’re in your own kitchen.
You can point to the carrot in the book, then find one in the refrigerator. Spot Oliver’s bowl, then bring out a bowl of your own.
And when it’s time to stir? An imaginary spoon works beautifully.
Permission to be a little ridiculous
The playful sounds are some of my favorite parts of this book.
Peas go “plink.” Flour goes “puff.” A carrot deserves a good, enthusiastic “crunch.”
If you’re reading this to a little person, please feel free to give those sounds your full performance.
Whisper when the soup is quietly simmering. Make a big “puff!” for the flour. Pause to see whether your little reader wants a turn.
The first version of the story didn’t rhyme, but it already had that playful read-aloud feeling. When I revised it to rhyme like the other Oliver books, I wanted to keep the sounds and the little invitations to participate.
I imagine parents and grandparents finding their own way to read it—with a favorite voice, a familiar gesture, or a sound that becomes funnier every time.
X made me work for it
An alphabet book sounds straightforward until you get to a letter that refuses to cooperate.
For me, that letter was X.
I wanted its connection to feel at home in Oliver’s kitchen. Eventually, I found it on a sourdough loaf: the crisscross scored into the top of the bread.
X marks the spot!
That detail became a little searching game. Can your reader find the X? Can you trace it in the air together?
It’s one of the parts I’m most pleased with. A tricky letter turned into something a child can discover.
Three ways to play along
You don’t need to prepare an activity before opening this book. But if your little reader wants to keep the kitchen fun going, here are a few simple ways to join Oliver.
Give them the stirring job.
Bring out an empty bowl and a child-safe spoon, or pretend to hold them. Let your little cook stir while you read. They may have strong opinions about how much stirring the soup needs.
Let them choose what to find.
Ask, “Where’s the carrot?” or “Can you find Oliver?” Follow whatever catches their attention. One picture might be the whole adventure that day.
Take the story into your kitchen.
Look for a bowl, an apron, or a vegetable from the book. Name it together. If you’re preparing a meal, you might find yourself borrowing Oliver’s sound effects.
There’s no need to work through every letter or finish every page. Some days you’ll read the story. Some days you’ll investigate the bread.
Oliver can wait.
A place for the littlest readers in the series
Oliver the Owl’s Alphabet Soup is a 6 × 6-inch board book for ages 1–3, with thick chipboard pages and a rhyming kitchen story to share with a grown-up.
It brings the same Oliver from the wider series into an adventure for younger children. For families who already know him, it’s a way to include the littlest reader. For families meeting him for the first time, his kitchen is a good place to start.
I picture this book in a grandparent’s reading basket, tucked into an overnight bag, or opened beside a child who has just decided that every letter needs to be pointed at.
It would make a thoughtful first-birthday gift, too—especially with a promise to sit down and read it together.
That’s the part I’m looking forward to most with my grandson.
I’ve spent a long time thinking about this alphabet soup. I can’t wait to hear what he brings to the table.
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