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The Real Story of Stone Soup
A stingy fisherman always makes his three young helpers do all his work. One day he scolds the “lazy boys” for forgetting to provide lunch. “Don’t worry,” they say. “We can make stone soup.” The boys dig a hole and fill it with water and “flavored” stones. They trick the fisherman into making bowls and chopsticks, and fetching salt and sesame oil. While he’s busy, they stir in bird eggs, add wild vegetables, and slip fish into the soup. By the time the old man returns, they have a feast fit for a king. To this day, “Egg Drop Stone Soup” is a traditional dish in southeast China. A recipe is included.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 18, 2007
21 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Ying Chang Compestine
34 books136 followersA leading national authority on culture and cuisine, award-winning author, and former food editor for Martha Stewart's Whole Living magazine, Ying Chang Compestine has written 27 books across multiple genres, including picture books, YA novels, and healthy adult cookbooks. She has hosted cooking shows, worked as a food editor for Martha Stewart’s Body+Soul, and was a spokesperson for Nestle Maggi and Celestial Seasonings.
Her novel "Revolution is Not a Dinner Party" and her memoir "Growing Up Under a Red Flag" recount her childhood during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. These works have received awards globally and high praise from prestigious media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Publisher's Weekly. Her novel "A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts" is currently being adapted into an animated TV series.
Named one of the "50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading" by The Author's Show, her books have sold worldwide in multiple languages. Endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil, her cookbook "Cooking with an Asian Accent" has been described as “a contemporary new cuisine.”
Ying believes food can be both healthy and delicious and that healthy eating is the key to a long, happy life. By integrating her background into her recipe creation, she features the three most critical Asian principles of food in her dishes: satisfaction of the senses, yin-yang balance, and medicinal properties.
In addition to writing, Ying has been a sought-after keynote speaker for high-end cruise ships, private jets, and resorts, including The World Residences at Sea, Crystal, Silver Sea, Viking, TCS World Travel, and Canyon Ranch. Ying is also frequently invited to speak at schools and conferences worldwide to share her journey as a writer—how her life in Wuhan, China, inspired her work—and to promote healthy eating and living. Her website is www.yingc.com
Her novel "Revolution is Not a Dinner Party" and her memoir "Growing Up Under a Red Flag" recount her childhood during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. These works have received awards globally and high praise from prestigious media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Publisher's Weekly. Her novel "A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts" is currently being adapted into an animated TV series.
Named one of the "50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading" by The Author's Show, her books have sold worldwide in multiple languages. Endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil, her cookbook "Cooking with an Asian Accent" has been described as “a contemporary new cuisine.”
Ying believes food can be both healthy and delicious and that healthy eating is the key to a long, happy life. By integrating her background into her recipe creation, she features the three most critical Asian principles of food in her dishes: satisfaction of the senses, yin-yang balance, and medicinal properties.
In addition to writing, Ying has been a sought-after keynote speaker for high-end cruise ships, private jets, and resorts, including The World Residences at Sea, Crystal, Silver Sea, Viking, TCS World Travel, and Canyon Ranch. Ying is also frequently invited to speak at schools and conferences worldwide to share her journey as a writer—how her life in Wuhan, China, inspired her work—and to promote healthy eating and living. Her website is www.yingc.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
August 26, 2018
I had fun reading this funny little story. I love the fisherman. He hires 3 young boys to do all the hard work and he projects on them. He does the hard work of steering. The boys are clever and industrious. The Fisherman thinks they are lazy and stupid. Projection. It is the fisherman who is both. The boys make the stone soup and while the fisherman is not looking they put in fish, eggs and veggies. The fisherman really believes that the stones turn into fish, eggs and veggies. It's very amusing
I love Chinese culture. I love to study about it and read it, so this is great for me.
My niece and nephew read this book and they thought it was funny. I really played up how dumb the fisherman was and how sneaky the kids were. They thought this was a fantastic story and laughed throughout the book. They both gave it 5 stars. Woot, Woot!
I love Chinese culture. I love to study about it and read it, so this is great for me.
My niece and nephew read this book and they thought it was funny. I really played up how dumb the fisherman was and how sneaky the kids were. They thought this was a fantastic story and laughed throughout the book. They both gave it 5 stars. Woot, Woot!
November 20, 2017
I loved this Chinese version of the stone soup folktale, which the author was inspired to write when visiting the Xi Shuang Ban Na region of China. This version is an old recipe that is cooked in the ground! I can’t wait to try the recipe detailed at the end of the book.
September 26, 2016
One of my favorite tales, so I may be biased towards retellings. This is interesting as it explicitly presumes the reader knows the basic version, with soldier and villagers.
I do appreciate the technique of the disconnect between narration & illustration: the boss man claims to work hard, but we can see he is really lazy, etc. (Do you remember what that technique is called? And when can children generally begin to understand it? Please comment.)
The illustrations are lively. The text is long enough to interest the older children who are most likely to appreciate the sophistication of the plot. And apparently there are other stories about these clever Chang brothers; I'll have to look for them.
I do appreciate the technique of the disconnect between narration & illustration: the boss man claims to work hard, but we can see he is really lazy, etc. (Do you remember what that technique is called? And when can children generally begin to understand it? Please comment.)
The illustrations are lively. The text is long enough to interest the older children who are most likely to appreciate the sophistication of the plot. And apparently there are other stories about these clever Chang brothers; I'll have to look for them.
March 5, 2017
The Real Story of Stone Soup is a folktale of how egg drop soup came about. It is the story about brothers that trick a man into thinking they have made soup with just rocks and water. They made the man make bowls and chopsticks to distract him while they added actual ingredients into a soup. This book is based off of the tale that has been told in southeast China for years. The pictures were very inviting and the writing was fun and playful.
This book was very fun to read and I think that it would be great to have in a classroom. I like that this book even includes a recipe for "stone soup" (which is really just egg drop soup.) It was interesting to read about a tale that has been told by so many people and that he's been passed on through many generations. The Real Story of Stone Soup was a fun read!
This book was very fun to read and I think that it would be great to have in a classroom. I like that this book even includes a recipe for "stone soup" (which is really just egg drop soup.) It was interesting to read about a tale that has been told by so many people and that he's been passed on through many generations. The Real Story of Stone Soup was a fun read!
May 2, 2017
Those Chang boys invented everything, according to author Compestine! They invented the kite, noodles, chopsticks, paper, and now, stone soup. The story is cleverly narrated by the lazy fisherman, and the difference between what he says and what the pictures show is really happening adds humor to the tale. I'm not sure, however, that it would be entirely clear to a young reader that the boys were playing a trick on the fisherman with the stones--making him believe that they produced the ingredients. There's a recipe in the back for the soup, which even includes the addition of stones! Pair this with Marcia Brown's classic rendering or some of the other versions for compare and contrast.
September 10, 2008
I enjoyed this story. I liked the pictures just fine. It would take a careful observer (in the young audience) to notice what the 3 Changs are doing with the soup while the pompous, lazy fisherman is distracted by other task. I'm not sure if even the Book Time audience would catch on to the fact that the Chang brothers are truly the smart ones and not "sly" and "disrepectful" as the narrator fisherman keeps describing them. Still, a good one to consider for actually reading.
December 2, 2011
Liked this one but didn't love it. I sat in while a third grade teacher read it to her class and the silliness is subtle enough that a lot of them didn't get it until they got a closer look at the pictures. The fisherman and his "lazy" nephews do provide a few giggles though.
October 10, 2023
Since I recently re-read Stone Soup, I thought this would be an interesting comparison.
Reminds me of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, another unreliable narrator in a children's book! But it's all fun and the illustrations of The Real Story of Stone Soup tell the real, true story. So look closely.
Reminds me of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, another unreliable narrator in a children's book! But it's all fun and the illustrations of The Real Story of Stone Soup tell the real, true story. So look closely.
September 17, 2011
The Real Story of Stone Soup by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch is a clever retelling of the classic tale, set in China and featuring a regional traditonal egg drop soup.
A stingy, lazy fisherman always makes his three young helpers do all the work. After scolding the "lazy' boys for forgetting to provide lunch, they announce that they can make stone soup. The boys dig a hole and fill it with water and flavored stones. They trick the fisherman into making bowls and chopsticks, and fetching salt and sesame oil. While he's busy, they stir in bird eggs, add wild vegetables, and slip fish into the soup. By the time the old man returns, they have a feast fit for a king, which he thinks is made only of stones, and for which he takes full credit.
This clever tale narrated by the lazy fisherman is very humourous. A Note From The Author begins this tale and gives background helpful in appreciating the story and the soup, which is a traditional dish in the Xi Shuang Ban Na area of southeast China. While the fisherman tells everyone about this soup, he has never "had time to make it" because he "works too hard already." The recipe and directions for Chang Brothers' Egg Drop Soup is given in the back of the book.
The colorful illustrations in watercolor, gouache and pen-and-ink tell the real story, showing how the boys fool the fisherman into thinking that the stones are producing the delicious soup. Actually, the boys are secretly adding each ingredient while the fisherman is busy making chopsticks and bowls, and bringing sesame oil and salt from the boat. Readers and listeners must look carefully at the many details in the drawings to realize what is really happening and how the boys are tricking the fisherman. The observant monkeys add additional humor.
I really enjoy this version. While it could make an interesting read-aloud, it may be more effective when read and studied one on one so that the detailed illustrations may be deciphered. It could also be compared to other versions of this folktale.
For ages 4 to 7, folktales, China, soup, Chang brothers, tricksters, cooking, and fans of Ying Chang Compestine and Stéphane Jorisch.
A stingy, lazy fisherman always makes his three young helpers do all the work. After scolding the "lazy' boys for forgetting to provide lunch, they announce that they can make stone soup. The boys dig a hole and fill it with water and flavored stones. They trick the fisherman into making bowls and chopsticks, and fetching salt and sesame oil. While he's busy, they stir in bird eggs, add wild vegetables, and slip fish into the soup. By the time the old man returns, they have a feast fit for a king, which he thinks is made only of stones, and for which he takes full credit.
This clever tale narrated by the lazy fisherman is very humourous. A Note From The Author begins this tale and gives background helpful in appreciating the story and the soup, which is a traditional dish in the Xi Shuang Ban Na area of southeast China. While the fisherman tells everyone about this soup, he has never "had time to make it" because he "works too hard already." The recipe and directions for Chang Brothers' Egg Drop Soup is given in the back of the book.
The colorful illustrations in watercolor, gouache and pen-and-ink tell the real story, showing how the boys fool the fisherman into thinking that the stones are producing the delicious soup. Actually, the boys are secretly adding each ingredient while the fisherman is busy making chopsticks and bowls, and bringing sesame oil and salt from the boat. Readers and listeners must look carefully at the many details in the drawings to realize what is really happening and how the boys are tricking the fisherman. The observant monkeys add additional humor.
I really enjoy this version. While it could make an interesting read-aloud, it may be more effective when read and studied one on one so that the detailed illustrations may be deciphered. It could also be compared to other versions of this folktale.
For ages 4 to 7, folktales, China, soup, Chang brothers, tricksters, cooking, and fans of Ying Chang Compestine and Stéphane Jorisch.
March 24, 2017
I know this tale as one of a trickster getting a meal out of a grasping miser and a mysterious traveler bringing together a starving village grown tight fisted and mean because of a drought. There’s also one featuring hungry soldiers using nails and another with a beggar who utilizes buttons. So it was a treat to read yet another version about a superior uncle and the supposedly lazy boys who make a delicious soup using only stones.
The story shows the sly boys turning the tables on the narrator, a man they call Uncle. You don’t know whether it’s in deference to his age or whether he’s their real uncle and it doesn’t matter. He thinks they are indolent, stupid and disrespectful. What they think of him remains unspoken but the illustrations display their wily, sidelong glances and hidden smirks as the boys get him to work for them by flattering him, being abrupt or seeming to take his advice. Clearly, they play a trick on the old man and he’s none the wiser.
The illustrations are by Stéphane Jorisch. I remember his work from Jabberwocky in the Visions of Poetry series. Those illustrations were borderline bizarre, with angular nearly headless people who looked more like store mannequins set in a world of outsize television sets and bizarre trees and a vorpal sword that resembled a feather duster more than a weapon. Here the illustrations are more realistic. They show the Chang brothers in native dress, while their Uncle chops stout bamboos stalks into bowls as men punt their low fishing boats in the distance.
Native language enhances the story as well as the clever illustrations and the book comes with a recipe at the end! So if you want to try your hand at this soup, read this book and keep your stones in your pocket.
The story shows the sly boys turning the tables on the narrator, a man they call Uncle. You don’t know whether it’s in deference to his age or whether he’s their real uncle and it doesn’t matter. He thinks they are indolent, stupid and disrespectful. What they think of him remains unspoken but the illustrations display their wily, sidelong glances and hidden smirks as the boys get him to work for them by flattering him, being abrupt or seeming to take his advice. Clearly, they play a trick on the old man and he’s none the wiser.
The illustrations are by Stéphane Jorisch. I remember his work from Jabberwocky in the Visions of Poetry series. Those illustrations were borderline bizarre, with angular nearly headless people who looked more like store mannequins set in a world of outsize television sets and bizarre trees and a vorpal sword that resembled a feather duster more than a weapon. Here the illustrations are more realistic. They show the Chang brothers in native dress, while their Uncle chops stout bamboos stalks into bowls as men punt their low fishing boats in the distance.
Native language enhances the story as well as the clever illustrations and the book comes with a recipe at the end! So if you want to try your hand at this soup, read this book and keep your stones in your pocket.
June 24, 2013
Some old folktales can be found in varying forms around the world. Stone Soup is one of those folktales that has been retold in many ways and many places. This particular version takes place in China, with an amusing contraposition between the story told by the narrator and the story told by the pictures. The narrator is a fisherman who says he works constantly. But the pictures show the fisherman asleep while his boys (the ones he calls lazy!) labor all day, hauling in heavy nets of fish. The western versions of Stone Soup have other people contributing ingredients to the soup, but in this version, the boys add all the ingredients, and fool the fisherman into thinking that he himself made the soup with stones.
Reading this particular book aloud would be incomplete without examining the pictures and discovering the rest of the story. Preschoolers may not get the humor of the contrast between the words and pictures without someone pointing it out. Placing the story in China gives a different flavor to the soup as well as to the story. Good for a classroom unit on folklore.
Stephane Jorisch's delightful pen-and-ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations add amusing and important information to the story. Ages 5-12.
Reading this particular book aloud would be incomplete without examining the pictures and discovering the rest of the story. Preschoolers may not get the humor of the contrast between the words and pictures without someone pointing it out. Placing the story in China gives a different flavor to the soup as well as to the story. Good for a classroom unit on folklore.
Stephane Jorisch's delightful pen-and-ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations add amusing and important information to the story. Ages 5-12.
May 9, 2015
Ying Chang Compestine. The Real Story of Stone Soup (2007). The motif the three round smooth stones and stone soup runs through many cultures. In this version, long ago in China a lazy fisherman called Uncle hires the 3 Chang brothers to help me on his fishing boat. One day the brothers forget the cooking pot and improvise by cooking soup in a hole in the ground lined with leaves. They set Uncle off doing tasks while they make a soup with three round stones. Each time they put in a stone, they say a magic word and blow on it three times. What Uncle doesn't see is that they are adding ingredients behind his back, but the reader sees! It has very whimsical watercolor illustrations. This version is a nice twist on the folktale. This would be an especially good book for reading aloud. It would be a good for a unit on Stone Soup, cooking, or China. It also includes a recipe for the Chang Brothers' Egg Drop Stone Soup. Target audience: 4 - 8 years.
June 30, 2018
This is a picture book that tells the real story behind the Stone Soup folktale, which is popular in southeast China. I found this in the nonfiction section of my local library. The book starts off with an uncle who explains that he works very hard because he has to make up for his “lazy, stupid” nephews, who he employs on his fishing boat. One day after work, they decide to make soup and the boys convince their uncle that they can eat soup made from rocks. The boys order their uncle to find ingredients throughout the story, such as salt and oil, and use his disappearances to put in real vegetables and fish. The uncle believes that he is eating stones and shares the recipe with the town, who now think he is crazy and stupid. I enjoyed this book and could see myself using this book in a variety of ways. The main character is a great example of an unreliable narrator, which I could use when teaching conflict and creative writing. I could also use this to teach inferencing, as the pictures tell a different story from what is written. This could also be used in a multicultural unit.
February 8, 2014
This story is a variant folktale from the folktale many of us have heard, Stone Soup. This story is the Chinese version. It contains some of the same elements of trickery from the original version as well as the fact that soup is being made with stones. This version is different as the narrator is the one who is being tricked. The narrator in the story employs the Chang brothers to do work for him. He calls the boys lazy, but cheap labor. One afternoon while fishing they decide to dock their boat for lunch. Since a cooking pot wasn't available, they decided to dig a hole in the sand and line it with banana leaves for a pot of soup. The narrator makes soup bowls and chop sticks out of bamboo and is irritated that he has done all of the work and the Chang brothers have only added stones to the soup. Through clever illustrations along each page we see that the Chang brothers have in reality added all of the ingredients to the soup! This adds humor to the story and quite comical that the narrator really believes that the soup is made from stones alone.
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November 5, 2015This book is about a fisherman who has three young boys do all his work for him. One day the fisherman said he was hungry and the boys said they would make "stone soup" for him. The kids say the stones are flavored and put them into a hole of water. The fisherman returns with other ingrediants and the stone soup is complete. This story is good to read in the classroom because "stone soup" is actually a dish in China and im sure no students in northern Minnesota would ever think this is real. This helps show the students cultural difference and how one country might have completely different foods then another.
May 3, 2016
stingy fisherman always makes his three young helpers do all his work. One day he scolds the “lazy boys” for forgetting to provide lunch. “Don’t worry,” they say. “We can make stone soup.” The boys dig a hole and fill it with water and “flavored” stones. They trick the fisherman into making bowls and chopsticks, and fetching salt and sesame oil. While he’s busy, they stir in bird eggs, add wild vegetables, and slip fish into the soup. By the time the old man returns, they have a feast fit for a king. To this day, “Egg Drop Stone Soup” is a traditional dish in southeast China. A recipe is included was pretty cool at the end of the book.
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February 26, 2017The Real Story of Stone Soup is about a lazy fisherman who puts all of the work on three young boys. The young boys make an elaborate soup using stones that the fisherman takes credit for. The fisherman believes that the soup is made only of stones and he did an excellent job.
This is an example of a traditional book. The story contains contrasting images and text. This contrast makes the story more humorous for the reader. This story also contains a lesson on trickery and hard work. The cultural background of the story makes it educational for students to read. The students will learn about stone soup, which is a traditional dish in China.
This is an example of a traditional book. The story contains contrasting images and text. This contrast makes the story more humorous for the reader. This story also contains a lesson on trickery and hard work. The cultural background of the story makes it educational for students to read. The students will learn about stone soup, which is a traditional dish in China.
October 18, 2015
I remember reading this Chinese folk tale when I was little. This story starts when a fisherman hires three brothers to work for him that he claims are lazy and don't want to work. One day they decide to dock the boat to eat lunch when they discover that they forgot the cooking pot and ingredients to make lunch. The three boys end up digging a hole in the sand for a pot and gathering nearby resources to prepare a meal. It ends up being the best stone soup they have ever had, even their uncles agrees. This book is entertaining from the contrast between the text and illustrations.
February 8, 2017
Fractured fairy tale
This is a Chinese version of stone soup where two brothers are hired to go out on a boat to help catch fish. After getting hungry for lunch they dock the boat and decide to make soup. Only to discover that the dumb brothers as they are referred to in the story have forgotten the pan. One of the brothers quickly discovers that they can dig a hole in the sand and line it with banana leaves to cook in. This is a delightful story about using your resources and being thrifty. At the end of the book there is a recipe for egg drop stone soup.
This is a Chinese version of stone soup where two brothers are hired to go out on a boat to help catch fish. After getting hungry for lunch they dock the boat and decide to make soup. Only to discover that the dumb brothers as they are referred to in the story have forgotten the pan. One of the brothers quickly discovers that they can dig a hole in the sand and line it with banana leaves to cook in. This is a delightful story about using your resources and being thrifty. At the end of the book there is a recipe for egg drop stone soup.
September 11, 2012
This is a folktale from the China subgroup. Only the English language is used throughout the book. The book is about an elderly man and his three helper boys who work together to make stone soup. The children can relate to the story because they sometimes help out their parents do the chores around the house. The story also teaches teamwork and how the children are supposed to respect their elders.
April 18, 2013
The illustrations hold so much of the story, with great humor and detail--they make the book. The narrative voice is so off-putting at first I didn't know if I was going to be able to keep reading. I especially thought the name-calling unnecessary, and edited it out when reading aloud to my kids. But I really like the example of an unreliable narrator for kids, and also the new information about the origin of stone soup.
April 5, 2014
The Real Story of Stone Soup by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch – Folktale – I’m ridiculously excited to have Ying Chang Compestine visit Bradbury in a few weeks, her books are just fantastic. Loved reading this lovely twist to the stone soup story, especially since it was based off of true origins in China. Additionally, it is a wonderful read aloud. Next I’m reading her new novel, Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier that she wrote with her son.
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July 24, 2016This story is the about how stone soup was first created not the old folktale. 'Uncle' hires the Chang brothers to help him on his fishing boat. They are nice boys, but very lazy. Uncle and the Chang brothers head to shore to dock the boat for lunch. Uncle asks the boys to grab the pot to make the soup. The brothers tell him the pot was forgotten. The brothers make the 'stone' soup. After the making of the soup Uncle shares with his friends on how he invented the real stone soup.
October 26, 2010
Filled with verbal irony, this Chinese folktale creates as much or even more humor that Marcia Brown's "Stone Soup." An egotistical fisherman who employs three young "lazy" boys is thrilled with the stone soup that they cook. Of course, he ends up supplying most of the ingredients. The result is the most delicious egg drop soup ever made. This book includes a real recipe.
October 30, 2011
This was a very creative version of an old story. Who knows, maybe the Chinese legend is the real version of this story. The text is humorous and the illustrations give character to the text. As far as teaching goes, I believe that I would use this story to show that even with history, there are different versions of the same incidents.
August 6, 2007
Stone Soup is to storytelling what "Misty" is to Jazz, most tellers have their own version, and you better bring something new to the table if you want to be remembered. (You can see my version in my book "Connecting Boys With Books" from ALA Editions)
April 12, 2010
I think the kids at my school will get a kick out of this one. First because it takes place in China (we have a large Asian population). Second because they will laugh at the silly man who thinks he is smarter and works harder than the boys who come up with the idea of a stone soup.
May 16, 2012
This is a great inversion of the stone soup story we're used to. The three workers and lazy master, the story elements, the drawings all blend well. And there is a recipe at the back of the book to make the book a whole experience.
December 1, 2012
3.5
I wanted to love this more than I did. The story was fun. Hearing the "real" story of stone soup was interesting. The little recipe at the book's end was a nice touch.
With so many picture books out there, this is a renter but I would probably not recommend buying it. The art was good.
I wanted to love this more than I did. The story was fun. Hearing the "real" story of stone soup was interesting. The little recipe at the book's end was a nice touch.
With so many picture books out there, this is a renter but I would probably not recommend buying it. The art was good.
January 4, 2014
I loved this story. I remember the classic tale of Stone Soup from childhood. I love the message it teaches. This tale adds a new spin with lots of humor. Love the illustrations. I think the kids will love this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews