Product Description

Three strangers, hungry and tired, pass through a war-torn village. Embittered and suspicious from the war, the people hide their food and close their windows tight. That is, until the clever strangers suggest making a soup from stones. Intrigued by the idea, everyone brings what they have until-- together, they have made a feast fit for a king! In this inspiring story about the strength people possess when they work together, Muth takes a simple, beloved tale and adds his own fresh twist.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43029 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Muth has taken this old tale and transplanted it from its traditional European setting to China. The tricksters are no longer hungry travelers or soldiers but Buddhist monks. Their goal in fooling the villagers is not to fill their own stomachs but rather to enlighten them about the happiness that comes from sharing. Muth's characteristic watercolor illustrations, with their striking use of misty hues contrasted with bright primaries, are expertly done and convey a distinct sense of place. In his author's note, the reteller details the elements of Chinese folklore that he incorporated into the story as well as the symbols from Eastern culture used in the artwork. However, Muth's decision to alter the motivation of the tricksters also depresses some of the humor in the story and gives it a moralistic tone. In addition, the likelihood that these initially suspicious and reclusive villagers would become truly happy people as a result of their own gullibility is slim. This is a beautifully executed book with a flawed story line.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 2. Muth freshens a familiar folktale with a change of setting. Three Zen monks arrive in a Chinese mountain village where hard times have made villagers distrustful of strangers and selfish toward one another. Undeterred by a lack of welcome, the monks set about preparing dinner soup, which, as the story traditionally goes, draws the villagers from their sheltered homes with ingredients to enrich the pot, thereby reinvigorating the community. The muted, unexceptional telling is less successful than the expressive pictures, which bloom in color as the soup thickens; the misty grays and blues of the mountains and empty village square gradually become vibrant, climaxing in a spread of villagers eating at a crowded, seemingly endless table, enjoying food and one another's company beneath the glow of red lanterns. A note at the back explains Muth's change of venue. An unusual version that kids will want to compare to other adaptations of the story. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Card catalog description
Three wise monks trick a poor,frightened community into finding happiness by teaching them the magic of generosity.

Customer Reviews

Great story for kids
I agree with much of what the other reviewers have said about the illustrations. The illustrations are beautiful and really add to the experience of reading the story. My kids loved this book and we've read it together a number of times at bedtime. They like the little girl who approaches the monks out of curiousity (one of my daughters noted that the youngest monk looks like the Avatar from the cartoon series). They also contemplated at what point the monks must have removed the stones from the soup.

Amazing book any age
A book you won't mine reading every night. Great story with great drawings...My 4 year old loves it so do I.

Beautiful!
Muth's watercolors are delicate and expressive, and work beautifully in retelling this familiar story. Oh, the wanderers are poor monks, and the setting isn't European, but it's still the same story we all love.

And that's why I chose this book over Muth's other children's books. I've enjoyed his adult artwork, and the paintings in the other kids' books are, if anything, better than the ones here. I just couldn't picture my four-year-old (check the suggested age groups) getting much out of Tolstoy's three existential questions, though. Maybe your kid is a bit more advanced, but Stone Soup seems to be a better match to this pre-schooler's philosophical needs.

//wiredweird