Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap!: An Appalachian Folktale
Kindergarten-Grade 2-This droll, cumulative story tells of an ever-so-forgetful boy, Plug, whose loving mother sends him to the store for soap. Concentrating on his mission as he walks along, Plug calls out the refrain of the title, causing an elderly woman to fall into the creek. She dunks him and leaves him with a new line that takes its place in his memory instead of the old one: "'What a mess I've become, but now you're one, too!'" This sentence offends the next person he meets and the chain of mishaps continues until a bedraggled but triumphant Plug returns home with the soap. This version differs from Richard Chase's tale of the same title in Grandfather Tales (Houghton, 1973) in its emphasis on motherly love and in its softened, less punitive approach. Students may recognize a similar story in Pat Hutchins's Don't Forget the Bacon (Greenwillow, 1976). Glass's bright, action-filled illustrations are reminiscent of Stephen Gammell's work in Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came (Bradbury, 1985). Birdseye's vivid language, use of repetition, and tone invite oral readings. A book that will be useful for story hours and units on Appalachian tales.Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, LaramieCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.