Customer Reviews

Stone Soup: An Old Tale

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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.

I remember several stories that I loved very much as a child. One of them is the story of "Stone Soup". I saw it on the Captain Kangaroo television show--- the Captain read the story and the illustrations were shown page by page. I was delighted and spellbound. Everyone knows that you don't give anything away. To do so would be very foolish. Yet, in this story the people do give food away! And in the end, everyone shares in a feast because each one provided one small part of the meal. This is very moving to me. And a lesson that shapes my life every day. Thank you Marcia Brown for your retelling of this timeless tale, and to Bob Keeshan, the Captain, for bringing me this joyful tale. Larry Host, Sacramento, California, July 22, 2006

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.

"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!

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.

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.

I have burned through three different editions of Stone Soup, not liking each one (one had ugly weird illustrations, one was too sappy and rhyming, one was too modern and snotty) until I decided to try out the classic, Caldecott Honor version.

WHAT a change. THESE are the classic illustrations most of us grew up with. THESE are the soldiers and the peasants we read about. THIS is the story I'm keeping for my nieces. The telling isn't too clever, or too silly, or too watered-down, or too grown-up. The illustrations are neither too slick or too consciously old-fashioned. (Sheesh, I feel like I'm reviewing Goldilocks here!) I love it, love it, love it!

Please remember that this is a bit of a lengthy book for the smaller kids.

Stone Soup is an old, lively story about three soldiers who come across a peasant village looking for some food and a place to sleep. But, the peasants are none too friendly and try their best to hide their food and make excuses of how not to help them. The soldiers have the idea of making stone soup, and soon the whole village is involved and having fun. Before they know it, everyone is sharing food and a huge feast is served, plus the soldiers get a good night's rest. Children will love this exciting book full of laughter and fun.

The best aspect of this book for the younger reader is the fact that they will be able to easily follow along with the story and even predict what will happen next. This will enable them to even retell the story over and over to others, giving them good practice to becoming a seasoned reader. This is also important because children need to have positive experiences being a part of a reading community. They will love sharing stories they know with others and having others share stories with them.

The illustrations in the book are simple, but yet delightful. They only use a few colors and are not incredibly detailed, but children will love watching the story play out before their eyes. They will be able to look at the pictures and describe what the characters are doing, and even predict what they will do next. The emotions that the soldiers and the villagers are experiencing can easily be seen through the pictures, and children will love seeing such distinct expressions on their faces.

Overall, this is a book that has no doubt been handed down over many generations, and children of today will still love and enjoy hearing and reading it. It is a delightful narrative that will provoke a love for a good story.

My favorite book is stone soup because it about when three soilders came.And they tricked the pesents.then they asked for somewhere to sleep and eat.then they said we have no food.And then they had a feast. This book is very intresting.

Hi, (...) This is a good book to buy. It's about three soldiers, but I will not tell you all. Beware--it will make you hungry!
I like the pictures. My favorite part is when the whole village were all together at the end thanking the soldiers.