Stone Soup (Aladdin Picture Books) (Paperback)

by Marcia Brown (Author, Illustrator) "They spread old quilts over the carrot bins..." (more)
Key Phrases: three soldiers

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This old French tale about soldiers who trick miserly villages into making them a feast won a Caldecott Medal when Brown retold and illustrated it in 1947.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

First published in 1947, this picture book classic has remained one of Marcia Brown's most popular and enduring books. This story, about three hungry soldiers who outwit the greedy inhabitants of a village into providing them with a feast, is based on an old French tale.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689711034
• ISBN-13: 978-0689711039
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,382 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #24 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > European

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The kindest con, April 26, 2004

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Stone Soup (Hardcover)

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.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How soup made from stones can feed an entire village., May 12, 1999

By	R. D. Allison ([e-mail]) (Gainesville, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stone Soup by Marcia Brown, July 22, 2006

By	Human Libber "Eclectic Reader" (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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