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Theme As you read, think about what the soldiers in this play teach the villagers. How does their plan show you the theme, or big idea, of the play?

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Scene 1A village in the country

Narrator 1: A long time ago, three soldiers trudged home from war through a forest.

soldier 1 (holding his stomach): Captain, I’m starving. If we don’t eat soon, I’m not sure I can keep going.

soldier 2: We haven’t had a bite for two days.captain: Hush, I see a village down below.soldier 1: What does it matter? They won’t

CharactersCircle the character you will play.

*Narrators 1, 2, and 3

*soldier 1: a young man

*soldier 2: another young man

*captain: an army officer

*Edward: a kind village child

*mary: a friend of Edward and George

*George: a friend of Mary and Edward

*Edward’s Father: a poor peasant

*mary’s mother: a poor peasant

children 1, 2, and 3: children of the village

*George’s mother: the town gossip

Villager 1

Villager 2

* indicates large speaking role

three hungry strangers, three curious children, and a secret recipe bring a small village a big surprise

AN ORIGINAL PLAY BY SARI BODI AND KAREN TROTT | ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE CLEGG

Folktale Play

stone soup

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feed us.soldier 2: Everywhere we’ve gone it’s the same:

no food to spare.soldier 1: People are afraid of strangers.soldier 2: Especially soldiers, Captain. The war

has left them wary.captain: Let’s see if we can convince them to

help us.Narrator 2: Nearby, three children climbing a

tree overhear the soldiers and speak softly to

one another.Edward: They do look hungry. But my parents

won’t give them a bite. All we have is potatoes, and hardly enough for us.

mary: All we have is carrots.George (closing his eyes): I would love a crispy

carrot. All we have to eat are turnips.Narrator 3: The children look at one another.mary: My grandma says that many years ago,

folks would share their food.

mary’s mother (shouting): Go from here! We have nothing for you.Narrator 2: The soldiers knock on every door, and each time, the answer is the same.all: Go away!

Scene 3Narrator 3: Discouraged,

the soldiers stand in the middle of the town square.

Narrator 1: The children are once again spying on them.

Narrator 2: They don’t realize that the captain knows they are watching . . . and listening.

soldier 2: Captain, we must go from here.

soldier 1: It’s no use.captain (loudly): I have

an idea. Since they have no food to give us, let’s make food for them.

soldier 2 (confused): Captain, how can we do that?

captain: Simple enough. We’ll make them stone soup.

soldier 1: Stone soup?soldier 2: Stone soup?Narrator 3: Mary, Edward, and George look at

one another with surprise—and curiosity.captain (winking at the soldiers and speaking even

louder): Yes, the most delicious soup of all. From my secret recipe.

soldier 1 (catching on): Yes! Of course! I can practically smell it now!

soldier 2: But we’ll need a large pot, won’t we?Narrator 1: George jumps down from his

hiding place.George: My mother has the biggest pot,

because she’s the best cook of all!

George: They’d sing and dance and eat together. And laugh.

Edward: I can’t imagine that.

soldier 1 (looking up into the trees): What’s that? Do you hear whispers?

Narrator 1: The children scatter like startled birds.

Scene 2

Narrator 2: The children take a shortcut back to town and arrive just before the soldiers.

Edward: Guess what, Father? We spied some soldiers in the woods. The poor men look as if they haven’t eaten for days!

Edward’s Father: What? This is terrible! We must warn the town!

Narrator 3: Soon the townspeople are in a panic.

mary’s mother: Oh, deary dear me! Quick, Mary! Hide our food!

mary: They look so hungry, Mother. Couldn’t we give them just a bit?

mary’s mother: I’m sorry, Mary. Hard times make hard hearts.

mary: All right. Where do I put the carrots?mary’s mother: Under the bed.Narrator 1: There is a knock on the door.mary’s mother (clamping her hand over Mary’s

mouth and whispering): Stay quiet! Maybe they’ll go away!

captain: Please, we mean no harm. We just ask for a small

bite to eat.soldier 2: Anything you

can spare.soldier 1: Or just a

pile of crumbs. We aren’t picky.

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Edward (landing with a thud next to George): I’ll help you get the pot.

mary: Hey, wait for me!Narrator 2: Soon other children appear from

their hiding places.captain: We’ll need plenty of water too. And

wood for the fire.child 1: I can use my pail.children 2 and 3: We’ll gather wood.Narrator 3: The children scurry off in

excitement.

Scene 4Narrator 1: George and his friends arrive at his

cottage.George (out of breath): Mother, we

need your big iron pot.Edward: The soldiers are

going to make stone soup.George’s mother (crossing her arms): That’s impossible. How can you make soup out of stones?mary: They say it’s the

most delicious soup of all.George’s mother (musing):

Hmm, that would be a useful thing to know. Go ahead. Take my pot.

mary (trying to lift it): But it’s so heavy.

Edward: All three of us can roll it to the square. Let’s go.

Narrator 2: And because George’s mother is the town gossip . . .

Narrator 3: . . . everyone soon knows about the stone soup. They gather on the village square.

George: We’re back! We’ve got the pot.

child 1: I’ve got the water.children 2 and 3: And here’s wood.Narrator 1: Soon the water is boiling furiously. captain: Now we need three smooth, round

stones.all the children (excitedly): We know where to

get those!Narrator 2: The children race one another to

the stream.soldier 1 (calling after them): Be sure to wash

them off!soldier 2 (nodding): We hate sandy food.Narrator 3: The children rush back as fast as

rabbits and drop the stones into the pot.Narrator 1: The soldiers make a show of

sniffing the boiling water.soldier 1: What is it, Captain?captain (shaking his head): If only we

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child 3: Make way for the cider!Narrator 3: What a feast the villagers and the

soldiers share that night.mary: This is the best soup I’ve ever had.mary’s mother: I have to admit, it’s a lot

better than plain old carrot-and-water soup.Edward’s Father (to George’s mother): It’s been

years since I’ve tasted your wonderful bread.George’s mother (smiling shyly): Then here’s

an extra slice to make up for lost time.Villager 2: Now that we’ve eaten our fill—all: Let’s bring out the pipes and drums!Edward’s Father: And tell stories.mary’s mother: Oh, how I’ve missed those.Edward: Let’s have singing!mary (tapping her feet): And dancing!Narrator 1: And when the feasting is over . . . Narrator 2: . . . the villagers lead their new

friends to the best beds in town.all: Good night!

had salt and pepper.Edward: Father, can we spare some, just a

pinch?Edward’s Father: Very well, Edward. You

might as well get both tins.Narrator 2: The spices are added, and

the captain tastes the broth.captain (nodding to his soldiers): Not bad.

But I know what would really make this tasty. Carrots.

mary: Mother, may I get some carrots from under the bed?

mary’s mother: Just make sure you dust them off, Mary.

Narrator 3: After the carrots are added, the soldiers taste the soup.

soldier 2: This may be the best stone soup we’ve ever made.

captain: No, the best stone soup we ever made also had turnips.

Villager 1: We have some. Child, go get them.child 1: But you had us bury them in the yard.Villager 1: Then go unbury them!

Scene 5Narrator 1: One by one, the rest of the

villagers come up with something to add to the soup: celery, potatoes, onions, beans, peppers, and delicious spices. Finally, the captain tastes the soup and proclaims:

captain: This stone soup is fit for a king!soldier 1: All of you shall have a bowl!Villager 2: Come, neighbors, let’s each bring a

table to the square.Edward’s Father: And our benches too—and

torches!mary’s mother (grabbing a neighbor’s hand):

Let’s bring bowls and spoons.Narrator 2: When the villagers place their

tables together in the town square, they form the longest banquet table ever seen.

George (pointing): Look, my mother’s returning with bread!

child 2: And I see fresh-churned butter.

What lesson do the people of the village learn from the soldiers? What is the theme of Stone Soup? Write your answers in a well-organized paragraph, using examples from the play. Send it to “Stone Soup Contest” by February 15, 2013. Ten winners will each receive a copy of The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech. See page 2 for details.

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Scene 6Narrator 3: The next day, the soldiers prepare

to leave.Narrator 1: The children skip alongside them

until they reach the edge of town.mary: We’re so glad you came to our village.George: To think our families all feasted

together last night.child 1: We’ve never seen such a thing

happen here before.Edward: I wish we could have stone soup

every night.soldier 2: Oh, you can. We shall give you the

recipe.soldier 1: Just take three small stones . . .captain: . . . and the cooperation of an entire

village.Narrator 2: And with that, the soldiers march

down the road . . . Narrator 3: . . . a bounce in their steps and

their stomachs quite full.