Stone Soup

Meet the voices

• Narrator · 旁白 — The warm storyteller who opens the tale.
• Jack · 杰克 — A tall cheerful traveler with a clever plan and a plain gray stone.
• Ben · 本 — Jack's round hungry friend who worries out loud.
• Mary · 玛丽 — A guarded village woman who cannot resist a mystery.
• Peter · 彼得 — A grumpy old farmer who says he believes nothing.
• Anna · 安娜 — Mary's bright little girl who shares without a second thought.

3 chapters, one journey

Key words in Stone Soup

• 汤 tāng: soup
• 石头 shí tou: stone
• 土豆 tǔ dòu: potato
• 白菜 bái cài: cabbage
• 盐 yán: salt
• 叔叔 shū shu: uncle
• 太太 tài tai: married woman
• 面包 miàn bāo: bread
• 锅 guō: pot
• 味道 wèi dao: taste

Behind the story

Stone Soup is an old European folk tale, told in many countries with small changes. In some versions the trick is a nail or an axe instead of a stone. Nobody knows who told it first, so it belongs to everyone.

In China the story is known as 石头汤 and appears in children's picture books and language classes. It teaches an idea Chinese readers know well: many small gifts together can make something great.

Did you know?

• The story is told in Portugal, France, Sweden, Russia and many other countries, and each one changes the trick a little.
• In English, "stone soup" has become a saying for a project where everyone adds a small piece.
• The tale is a favorite for teaching children about sharing, because the whole plot is one pot and many hands.