The Wretched Stone

I bought this book when it first came out 15 years ago for a young friend who was glued to the tv too much of the time. He thought it was funny and I don't know if it helped, but it seemed like a good way to tell him what I thought about too much tv rather than the usual Charlie Brown adult gibberish kind of comment. Now I have a couple of grandsons who are glued to their iPads way more than they should be (in my elderly opinion) and I've ordered it again...Besides that, I'm a major Chris Van Allsburg fan. His illustrations are excellent and one of my main requirements when buying picture books for my children and now grandchildren is that the art in them is probably going to influence their aesthetics later on, so it had better be the best.

I am a huge Chris Van Allsburg fan! His books are perfect for use in my 6th grade classroom. This one is great for drawing conclusions and inferences. I also do an author's study for teaching aithor's craft. The story on this one is written as journal entries. The crew members find a glowing rock that turns the crew into apes. Only reading can help to turn them back into humans. A great message for an ELA class! Quality wise, this book is superior. Heavy pages, sturdy cover, and a nice book jacket.

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!)

All of Chris VanAllsburg’s books are meaningful. This one is especially needed in our day of social media and cell phone use.

A favorite by Chris Van Allsburg. I read this to first graders as a cautionary tale about too much screen time. My 5 yr. old grandson needs strict limits with screen time. He got the message with this lovely book. I gently used dabs of double-faced tape to keep the key pages a surprise for more impact. The book has wonderful illustrations that encourage inferences by leaving key ideas out of view.

As an Elementary school librarian, this was always one of my favorite books to read aloud to my students ages K-3rd. They all loved the story, then I was thrilled during discussion time to see the light go on as they came to realize just what that 'wretched stone' was. They were all appalled when they thought about how much time they spent, sitting around staring at the TV in their house. So I had to order a copy to have in my own home to read to my Grandchildren.

I love the quality of paper and the great illustrations. I use this book as an introduction to an unit on technology. It’s perfect.

I purchased this book for my granddaughters. I love the book, but was disappointed that they pushed the book into an envelope that was too small and tore the cover.

This book is great in the classroom for showing students a different voice. The whole whole book is written as a journal by the captain of the ship.

Fantastic Authour! Love this book for so many lessons in the classroom!

まさに、「なぜ船長は・・・・・・？」と、思う内容です。本を読んだり、音楽をしたり、語りあったり・・・。人として大事なこととは？？といった感じの絵本ですが、子どもたちは、いまいましい石をみて変貌する船員たちに、びっくりしたようでした。

悪くないんだけど、今までのオールズバーグと比べると、絵もストーリーもいまいちでした。「まさ夢いちじく」「魔法のホウキ」「名前のない人 」あたりの方がお薦めです。

美しい装丁なので、インテリアにもなる。内容はまあ面白いかなって感じ