Author : Ying Chang Compestine, Illustrator : Stephane Jorisch
Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

The Real Story of Stone Soup

The Real Story of Stone Soup, Hardcover, English, Book, Ying Chang Compestine, Stephane Jorisch, Kindergarten - 3rd Grade, 9780525474937, $16.99

A stingy fisherman always makes his three young helpers do all his work. One day he scolds the “lazy boys” for forgetting to provide lunch. “Don’t worry,” they say. “We can make stone soup.” The boys dig a hole and fill it with water and “flavored” stones. They trick the fisherman into making bowls and chopsticks, and fetching salt and sesame oil. While he’s busy, they stir in bird eggs, add wild vegetables, and slip fish into the soup. By the time the old man returns, they have a feast fit for a king. To this day, “Egg Drop Stone Soup” is a traditional dish in southeast China. A recipe is included. 

Listen to Vienna Rose read The Real Story of Stone Soup to you.  A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.

School Library Journal : Kindergarten - Grade 3—Tongue-in-cheek humor peppers this original tale that incorporates the stone-soup motif but is based on a Chinese legend instead of the European folktale. A fisherman complains that the three boys he has hired to work on his boat are "somewhat stupid" and "lazy" even though the illustration reveals that he is lounging at the stern while the boys toil. At lunchtime he barks out orders, "Ting! Gather firewood. Pong! Prepare the cooking pot and clean the fish." The cooking pot is missing, however. Undaunted, the young lads dig a hole in the sand for cooking and throw a "fish stone," an "egg stone," and a "vegetable stone" into a nearby fire. They distract their employer by asking him to make bamboo bowls and chopsticks while they add the real ingredients to the sand pot. When the rocks are added to the soup, the food floats to the surface. The unpleasant employer then claims that he can make soup from stones, but it is clear from the illustrations that the villagers know he's been fooled. The watercolors are in eye-catching shades of blue, green, and yellow, and are filled with motion and humor: a monkey imitates the jaunty walk of the fisherman, and pen-and-ink drawings meticulously detail whiskers and hair. However, the boys' faces appear stereotypically round, with slanted eyes that seem exaggerated. An additional purchase.

Booklist : "The truth is that Stone Soup was invented . . . in China," writes Compestine, and in her version of the traditional folktale, a Chinese fisherman narrates. He complains about his young helpers: "Nice boys, but lazy and, I'm sorry to say, somewhat stupid." Jorisch's illustrations--expressive, gouache-and-ink scenes--tell a different story, though. Images show the rotund fisherman relaxing on his boat while the children do the work. For lunch one day, the resourceful boys make a soup, tricking their boss into believing it is river stones that create the flavor. The pompous boss returns to the village, boasting about his new discovery. Children who don't look closely at the pictures may have trouble following the action, but alert kids will chortle over the contradictory stories told by the words and images, and recognize the self-important adult who is oblivious to the kids' ingenuity. A recipe for Egg Drop Stone Soup is appended to this natural choice for folktale units. An author's note explains the story's cultural history but doesn't include a source.

English Collection Ying Chang Compestine Books :

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