I read this book in a pre-K 3 class and we actually made the soup as a class to share as our snack for the day. But now this book will be an important book to me personally because my son sat with me and he read the book with me. We took turns reading the story. It was a mommy/son moment that are becoming less and less as my kids are getting older. He asked last night to read another story. I will read these books with him just to help make it easier for myself because it will be just another reason to do them.

In general, I love the story and funny how people fall in love with magic and the curiosity of magic. It brought a town together and made them look at the Grethel different too. I loved her name too, my daughter's name is Gretchen! ( )

An intrepid young girl named Grethel sets out to find a way to feed herself and her beloved mother, in this adaptation of the classic French folktale, Stone Soup. After walking for three days, she finds herself, tired and hungry, in a village where none of the stingy resident will give her anything to eat. Using her wits, her sense of showmanship, and a smooth stone, Grethel convinces the villagers to share their bounty after all, and everyone enjoys a marvelous feast...

Stewig's able adaptation of this old tale substitutes a young girl for the three soldiers (although they do appear, in the excuse given by one of the villagers, to explain why they have no food to share), a decision that will please young readers, who will be better able to identify with the protagonist. The illustrations by Margot Tomes have a kind of country charm - not pretty, exactly, but appealing all the same. Those who are interested in reading multiple variants of the same tale, might also want to check out Marcia Brown's classic rendition of the story, for comparative purposes. ( )

One of my favorite books as a child when I was in school. What I love about this book the most is that the teacher that read this book to me let us make a "Stone Soup." Great way to have children connect with a book. Grethel and her mother couldn't support each other by working on the farm any more so she set out to discover a easier life. She went to the village to try and get food from the peasants but none of them would share. Then, Grethel decided to make a "Stone Soup" and everyone contributed and gave her food to go home with. ( )