Stone Soup

PreSchool-Grade 3-- A young lass is the clever protagonist in this appealing version of the tale about the stingy villagers and the magic stone. When their small farm can no longer support them, Grethel sets off to seek a way to make life easier for herself and her mother. After three days, the hungry girl comes upon a village hoping to find food and a place to sleep. The mean-spirited folk claim they have no food--but Grethel astounds them all by making delicious soup with a magic stone. Tomes is a natural choice for depicting a variety of peasant stock running to hide their harvests, and then foolishly standing by while supplying the stone soup with the hidden ingredients. Gentle touches of humor appear, such as a young woman taking care of her elderly uncle being depicted with a halo. Warm reddish, pink, and brown tones predominate in the illustrations; with the varied layout and an ample use of white space, the total effect is handsome and inviting. The colloquial style retains the flavor of the original, although it's hard to beat the classic version by Marcia Brown (Scribners, 1947) for subtlety of language. Still, in most collections, both versions will reside together in harmony. --Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This homely version of the classic tale is imbued with a cheery rusticity, thanks in no small measure to Tomes's appealingly dour peasant folk. "No one loved Grethel more than her mother," begins the narrative, as Stewig sets the caring, direct tone that he maintains perfectly through to the final sentence. Times are lean on the farm, and Grethel decides to "set off down the road. Perhaps, being clever, she could discover a way to make life easier for her mother and herself." When the hungry girl seeks food along the way, she is given only excuses from the niggardly villagers, who stash their provisions and plead hardships of their own. Plotting her next move, Grethel spies a stone at her feet, and the rest is storybook history. These townsfolk may be stingy, but they're easily duped: before long, all are feasting on "a nobleman's soup--and all from a magic stone." The story and art mesh splendidly; the hearty, earth-toned illustrations possess an appropriate middle-European feel that breathes new life into this old favorite. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.