One of my very favorite folktales is the story of stone soup. When a stranger comes to town with nothing but a pot of water and a stone, they begin to make stone soup. Slowly they convinced the selfish villagers to add what little food they have to the soup to make it even more delicious. By the time the soup is finished, the village enjoys a communal feast–made better by everyone's contributions. As is often the case with folktales, this story has been retold lots of different ways with many different twists. These are some of my favorite versions, to compare and contrast. Stone Soup: An Old Tale By Marcia Brown New York: Aladdin Books, 1947. Picture book. Probably the best known picture book version of Stone Soup, this Marcia Brown classic is a Caldecott honoree. Telling a pretty authentic version of the European folktale, three soldiers stop in a village that is reluctant to share their food. Bit by bit, the soldiers trick the villagers into adding delicious and flavorful ingred...
Book reviews and recommendations from the Children's Librarians at the Provo City Library