Stone Soup

Rating:
Summary: Stone Soup
Review: "Stone Soup" is a favorite folktale in our elementary school library. I just had a class of second graders beg me to read this Caldecott Honor book to them, and--of course--all our copies were immediately checked out.

I'm continually surprised--but pleased--that modern kids still enjoy these older illustrations by Marcia Brown, with their limited colors (see cover). This tale is a true classic, and this version has been around for many generations. It's part of the folk tradition in more ways than one. Let's hope we keep "sharing" this tale about sharing for generations to come!

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Summary: The captain and ten eels make soup
Review: I just loved this book when I was a hooligan, I can remember Captain Kangaroo reading this one to the camera back in the day. There's many a valuable lesson lurking in here, and tricksterism galore. Coyote would be proud (as was Mr. Moose). Plus, you'll find a generic but decent recipe for vintage village stew...er, stone soup.

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Classic That Children Will Always Enjoy
Review: If this book has one downfall, it's that the story is a little long. But that is overshadowed by the fact that the story is so interesting for children and parents, and the illustrations are first-rate.

Watch the hungry soldiers use their cunning and imagination to make a meal out of nothing. They entice the local towns people to share their food in the making of stone soup.

Concepts include: sharing, imagination, the will to make things happen, etc.

Rating:
Summary: The kindest con
Review: It's funny how a single story changes with the telling. These days the classic tale of how to make stone soup has been told in a myriad of different tellings and versions. But if you harken back a little to Marci Brown's 1947 concoction, you see clearly that the story can be a little more sardonic than its alternate versions. In this tale, villagers are tricked out of their greed and fear into sharing and enjoying life with their neighbors. And it's all thanks to a soup that doesn't even exist.

Three soldiers make their way home from an unnamed war in an unnamed country. Passing a village, the men ask the townspeople for some food and warm beds. Unsurprisingly, the peasants (who, one presumes, have been violently scared into this state of distrust through years of misuse at the hands of soldiers such as these) feign a lack of food or room for the men. Thinking on their feet, the soldiers proclaim that there is nothing for it then but to make stone soup. The astonished town watches and aids the men in their task, providing them with a huge soup cauldron, water, and whatever ingredients the soldiers casually mention. By the end of the evening everyone sits down to a hearty meal and after a good night of carousing the men are given the best beds in town. "And fancy, made from stones!"

The soldiers in this tale are jovial fellows, just as comfortable fooling foolish peasants into acts of selflessness as they are dancing with pretty maids and drinking. That so much joy can come simply from sharing with your fellow man is a moral insinuated from the tale, rather than explicitly spelled out to the reader. Brown's accompanying illustrations encompass roughly four colors; red, black, white, and grey. Though a subtle palette, the figures readily express all the emotions, fears, and energy of the people and their soldier guests. I was charmed by the final throwaway line in the book, written below the peasants as they wave goodbye to the three men. "Such men don't grow on every bush". You could say the same for this book.

Rating:
Summary: The kindest con
Review: It's funny how a single story changes with the telling. These days the classic tale of how to make stone soup has been told in a myriad of different tellings and versions. But if you harken back a little to Marci Brown's 1947 concoction, you see clearly that the story can be a little more sardonic than its alternate versions. In this tale, villagers are tricked out of their greed and fear into sharing and enjoying life with their neighbors. And it's all thanks to a soup that doesn't even exist.

Three soldiers make their way home from an unnamed war in an unnamed country. Passing a village, the men ask the townspeople for some food and warm beds. Unsurprisingly, the peasants (who, one presumes, have been violently scared into this state of distrust through years of misuse at the hands of soldiers such as these) feign a lack of food or room for the men. Thinking on their feet, the soldiers proclaim that there is nothing for it then but to make stone soup. The astonished town watches and aids the men in their task, providing them with a huge soup cauldron, water, and whatever ingredients the soldiers casually mention. By the end of the evening everyone sits down to a hearty meal and after a good night of carousing the men are given the best beds in town. "And fancy, made from stones!"

The soldiers in this tale are jovial fellows, just as comfortable fooling foolish peasants into acts of selflessness as they are dancing with pretty maids and drinking. That so much joy can come simply from sharing with your fellow man is a moral insinuated from the tale, rather than explicitly spelled out to the reader. Brown's accompanying illustrations encompass roughly four colors; red, black, white, and grey. Though a subtle palette, the figures readily express all the emotions, fears, and energy of the people and their soldier guests. I was charmed by the final throwaway line in the book, written below the peasants as they wave goodbye to the three men. "Such men don't grow on every bush". You could say the same for this book.

Rating:
Summary: Stone Soup
Review: The story is about three soldiers who are hungry and very tired and are looking for a place to stay.
Then, they come across a village one day. The people of the village have plenty of food and places to say, but they don't want the soldiers staying there so the people of the village hide there food and say their beds are all full. Well, that same day, the soldiers get an idea. Why! stone soup of course!

The message that this book sends is that even though you think that some people are bad, you should always try to see whats on the inside of them, not the outside. I think this book is fit for five to eight years of age.

I recomend this book to any child who has a judjment problem, and even to adults who want to show their children a lesson.

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Summary: How soup made from stones can feed an entire village.
Review: This children's book, based on an old French folk tale, is about three soldiers who try to convince a small village to provide them with some food. The villagers say they are too poor and can't. The soldiers then reply that they will make stone soup out of stones and water and are able to trick the villagers into having a village-wide feast. Yeats had a one-act play roughly based on this folk tale as well. The book was a 1948 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children.

Rating:
Summary: Stone Soup
Review: This is a delightful old French tale that teaches the importance of opening your heart and sharing. The illustrations are wonderful and it's a great book for teachers to use in the classroom. Even though the story is old, the lesson that is learned is still valuable in today's society.