The Wretched Stone

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Summary: Great ammunition against TV!
Review: If you have trouble getting your kids to turn off the tv...here is a wonderful adventure book to show the kids how too much television viewing can turn you into an "ape"! Filled with metaphors for older children (8 and up) to figure out: Could the strange island where they found the wretched stone once have been inhabited with intelligent life? Perhaps all that is left (after pollution, technology) is unedible vegetation, undrinkable water, stinky odors--but the "stone" remains,("rough textured, gray with portion that is flat and smooth as glass,"), sound like a tv? How about the lightning that knocks out the "power" of the stone/tv? And I love the part where..."It seems that those who knew how to READ recovered more quickly."
Another recommended "anti-tv" book for kids: "Fred's TV" by, Clive Dobson.(may be out of print, but can still get in online!)


Rating:
Summary: The greatest illustrator of children's books since NC Wyeth
Review: The Wretched Stone an intriguing tale that, like most of Van Allsburg's books, begins in a deceivingly normal way. The voyage of the Rita May turns strange when a large glowing rock is brought on board. As the crew becomes mesmerized by its light, they are transformed into ape-like beings, loosing the qualities that make them human. Until a storm hits , there appears no way the ship will survive. The story serves as a reminder that as we slip deeper into the electronic age, we may be loosing the very things that give us our humanity. It is a timely piece.

Rating:
Summary: a metaphor for the technological age
Review: The Wretched Stone an intriguing tale that, like most of Van Allsburg's books, begins in a deceivingly normal way. The voyage of the Rita May turns strange when a large glowing rock is brought on board. As the crew becomes mesmerized by its light, they are transformed into ape-like beings, loosing the qualities that make them human. Until a storm hits , there appears no way the ship will survive. The story serves as a reminder that as we slip deeper into the electronic age, we may be loosing the very things that give us our humanity. It is a timely piece.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK! :)
Review: The Wrethched Stone is a great book. I loved it! It is a little confusing. I would have liked more detail. The pictures were great! I think kids older then the age of 9 would understand it more then littler kids. Little kids would love the pictures, though.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest illustrator of children's books since NC Wyeth
Review: Vivid artwork in an array of dramatic colors adds to the mystery and eerieness of this book. I take it that the "wretched stone" is a metaphor for television and its hypnotic effect. I am taking a course on children's literature and have been sampling picture books, and so far Van Allsburg wins the palm. The darkness of this tale may be disconcerting to some of the young set, but the last page with its bright red, white and yellow colors and its kicker wit dispels the gloom and sends us all to bed happier and the wiser.