Weird fiction, in the genre sense of the term. A ship voyage encounters a strange stone that turns most of the crew into beasts. Those who were literate regained their humanity quickest. This was interesting, but not quite what I expected from the picture book section. Kids who have expressed an early interest in the supernatural or weird will appreciate it, but even highly imaginative kids of 2 or 3 may be confused by it. ( )

The Wretched Stone is depicted through journal entries of a young sailor. We soon find out that the crew of the ship finds a rock overboard that they bring onto the ship. Over the next few days the sailor writes in his entries that his fellow crewmates are obsessed with this stone. As the young sailor goes to check on his crew, he discovers they have all changed into primates! After reading to them and playing the violin he realized they are becoming civilized/human again. Van Allsburg also throws a funny twist in the end of the book when all the crew eats are bananas when they are saved and placed on an island. I enjoyed this read as it is a little odd like most of Van Allsburgs work. I believe throwing oddity into these stories really ties the reader in more and helps them to stay hooked never knowing what’s going to happen next. ( )

Sailors find a mysterious stone on a strange island and decide to bring it aboard, but the stone is enchanted and the crew soon becomes entranced by it. ( )

I did not share this book with my students because I felt it might be over their heads. But for me, it was awesome! It kept me thinking, questioning, and inferring throughout the story. Van Allsburg writes this story in a way that captivates the audience. His words kept me on my toes wanting to know what the wretched stone possibly looked like and the powers it held.

In a series of journal entries, the captain of a ship writes about the strange things that occured when they landed on an island and discovered a powerful stone and brought it aboard. Things begin to change as the sailors begin to act animalistic and out of character. When a storm rolls in and the wretched stone is lost, the monkey men begin to act like their old selves again, enjoying books and conversing with one another. ( )

This story is written as a series of excerpts from the logbook by Captain Randall Ethan Hope of the Rita Anne, a tall ship from an undetermined time in the past. The ship begins its voyage happily and soon finds itself in need of water. They go to an island and go ashore to get water but come back with only a stone that they store below deck. The stone glows and the crew become mesmerized by it, shirking their duties to sit and stare at it. Worse results happen after the crew continues to stare at the stone and they become worthless when a storm hits and destroys the ship. The captain makes an interesting discovery about helping his crew return to normal.