Title: The Wretched Stone
Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Focus of Book: Fiction Picture Book, Fantasy
Overview of Author:
Chris Van Allsburg is an award winning author and illustrator, who has illustrated and/or written more than twenty books. He is most well known for his book The Polar Express. Chris Van Allsburg has received the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children’s literature. He lives in Boston, and is known for placing a little white dog (or part of him) somewhere in all of his books.
Book Summary:
A crew is sailing on a long journey aboard the Rita Anne. They find a mysterious, glowing rock and begin behaving very strangely. The crew is in a strange, feverish state as a strong storm barrages the ship. The crew is eventually rescued and makes it to shore after the stone stops glowing.
The Wretched Stone is an imaginative and fantastical book that is greatly enhanced by the illustrations. The artwork is done in a realistic, painterly style. The colors are rich and vibrant, and the people and objects look real, like you could put yourself into the scene. Van Allsburg’s use of leading lines to draw in the reader fits in well with the images of ships, ropes, and trees. This is seen especially on pages 2, 6, 8, and 10. The text is written as journal entries. mirroring the realism of the artwork. The illustrations greatly establish the setting and reinforce the text. An additional way that the illustrations interact with the text is to set the mood of the book. The mood of the story changes throughout the text. The story has a fantasy element, and the art helps the reader understand the events.
The Wretched Stone can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the reader’s background and culture. The glowing stone could be a figment of the character’s imagination or a result of the storm. The crew seeming to transform into apes could be the result of fever and sickness or the result of magic. A class discussion could help students construct their own meaning from the text. The Wretched Stone is a unique and thought provoking book that will promote discussion.
Reference
Van Allsburg, C. (1991). The wretched stone. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Between the Trees 