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.
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 ingredients to the pot. Using a limited color palette and lightly humorous illustrations–this is a classic worth revisiting.
By Vincent Chen
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2020. Picture book.
In this modern version of the classic folktale, neighbors in four different apartments ask "what's for dinner?" at the same time. When a child suggests hot pot–things kick into high gear. All of the neighbors contribute what they can and they make a delicious hot pot to share. This version has none of the trickery of the Marcia Brown version–but is all the richer for it's spirit of camaraderie.
Written by Ian Lendler
Illustrated by Mark Pett
San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2021. Picture book.
There's no soup in this version of the story, but rather a community library. Before the tornado that carried the library away, the citizens of Littletown had already forgotten about the library. Everyone except for Nia. She knows that the town needs a library, so she sets out writing down her favorite stories and lending them out of her little red wagon. Before long, others in the community do the same. Libraries are vital to communities, as Nia shows her town.
By Daniela Sosa
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2025. Picture book.
Two friends find a truly enormous parsnip and can't decide what to do with it. After careful deliberation, the answer is clear–giant parsnip soup. They begin to gather the necessary ingredients, and accumulate more and more friends to help along the way. Finally, all the kids bellies are fed and full of soup in this collaborative story that includes a recipe for (regular sized) parsnip soup.
Written by Alan Durant
Illustrated by Dale Blankenaar
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2020. Picture book.
This retelling of stone soup is set in South Africa, where Noko the porcupine stops in an unfamiliar village on his journey home. Exhausted, Noko longs for somewhere to rest and something to eat. But the locals hide from Noko and refuse to share any of their food. Noko decides to make quill soup - borrowing only a pot and some water. Little by little, the local animals find things to add to the soup until it is extra special and good enough for everyone to share.
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