Stone Soup

Synopsis:
Tbree Monks from the east, Hok, Lok,and Siew are on a long journey. They arrive at one town only to discover that people are suspicious of each other and generally keep to themselves. They decide to help them by cooking their "Stone soup". They begin with a small pot and three smooth stones. When asked what they are doing by a child, they respond by saying they are creating stone soup, enough for everyone. The little girl offers a bigger pot, so that they'll have enough for everyone. When the villagers see their interactions, one by one they come to contribute something to the soup. It all turns into a great big, community-wide feast with puppet shows for the children, stories and songs for all etc. The people realize they have received a gift.


Muth, Jon J. Stone Soup. New York: Scholastic Press, 2003.

Brown, Marcia, and Robert L. Egolf. Stone Soup: An Old Tale. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.

Compestine, Ying C, and Stéphane Jorisch. The Real Story of Stone Soup. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2007.

Giff, Patricia R, and Blanche Sims. Spectacular Stone Soup. New York, N.Y: Dell Pub, 1989.

Van, Rynbach I. The Soup Stone. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1988.


I LOVE this story! I don't remember the first time I heard it, but it has always had a strong appeal. I guess it's that sense of "community" one gets out of it. And that no matter what you can contribute, it will be appreciated.
I think it's applicable to a vast range of ages. I'd start perhaps with elementary school and go up from there, adapting it to the age of my audience. It's perfect for the ESL classroom because you can invite students to tell versions of this story from their countries. The author of this version, Jon J. Muth was also the illustrator of the book. He wanted to bring out the Chinese culture and include known characters from Chinese folklore (Hok, Lok, and Siew) who are three deities who represent health, wealth and prosperity.