Stone Soup



    Stone Soup is an old tale retold by Marcia Brown.  Although this is an old book, originally published in 1947, it is a Caldecott Honor book.  This old tale begins with three hungry soldiers marching when they came upon a small village.  Needing rest and food the soldiers enter the town, but only after the villagers had quickly hid their food, knowing that soldiers tend to be hungry.  Needless to say, when the soldiers asked for food, the villagers have good excuses why they don't have the food.   It is then that the soldiers hatch a plot to make stone soup.  Intrigued as the villagers were, they eagerly help to make such as soup.  But such a soup would be better if it had carrots, cabbage, and maybe beef.  The unsuspecting villagers unwittingly fetch for these hidden foods.  More than this, the grateful villagers, happy to find a new soup, willingly give up their beds for the soldiers.   Finally, the soldiers get on their way, with a full stomach and a smirk on their face.
   I enjoyed reading this book.  It is a wonderful book to share with young children.  The plot is based on a matching of wits.  The clever scheme is believable and is a reflection of human nature and greed.  This book provides a good opportunity to teach the concept of sequence and working with a recipe.  As an enrichment activity, students could bring in food items and small, clean, smooth stones to make their own stone soup for the whole class to enjoy.