The non-sandwich soup

The Non-Sandwich Soupis the second picture book in the Series about Rustly thelittle mouse. This book is about picky eating, curiosity, and learning to try something new—without pressure or battles at the table.

Rusty the mouse loves butter sandwiches and refuses to eat even a single spoon of soup. Soup is simply not a sandwich—and that’s that.When lunch turns into another standoff, Rusty’s mom comes up with a playful solution: a color game. Every day of the week gets its own color, and only foods of that color are allowed.

Red Monday. Blue Tuesday. Sunny yellow midweek. Green Friday.As Rusty dives into the game, shopping for colorful food and tasting new dishes becomes an adventure rather than a chore. One spoon turns into two, curiosity replaces resistance, and food slowly stops being the enemy.

By the time a new Monday comes around, Rusty is ready for a small but meaningful change—adding a tomato to his beloved sandwich.

Told through rhythmic, read-aloud-friendly text and built around repetition, humor, and visual storytelling, The Non-Sandwich Soup addresses picky eating in a gentle, non-didactic way. There are no lectures, no tricks, and no pressure—just play, agency, and joy.

Key themes include:

– picky eating and food curiosity

– autonomy and choice

– parent–child relationships

– play as a tool for learning

– color, routine, and discovery

Author & Illustrator

Elena Bulay

Elena Bulay is an artist and illustrator based in Moscow. She graduated from the Moscow State University of Printing Arts as a graphic artist and later followed the illustration course at the British Higher School of Art and Design. Elena illustrates books and magazines and also creates product illustration. She collaborates with publishing houses, advertising agencies, magazines and more.

Elena was among the winners of the Illustrators Exhibition organized by Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2021 and 2022. In 2025, Elena was among the finalists with the illustrations from her picture book Harold the snail. Her non-fiction The Dog Book was published in 11 languages.