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Title: The Stonecutter
Author: Gerald McDermott
Narrator: Gerald McDermott
Format: Unabridged
Length: 6 mins
Language: English
Release date: 06-15-06
Publisher: Weston Woods Studios
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes
Genres: Kids, Ages 0-4
Publisher's Summary:
Tasaku is a lowly cutter of stone who longs for power. This story includes authentic Japanese music on the koto.
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©1975 Gerald McDermott; (P)1990 Weston Woods Studios
Editorial Reviews:
Caldecott Medalist Gerald McDermott enlivens this Japanese folktale with his soothing voice and music played on the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument. Children will enjoy following along with the vibrant, stylized figures and geometric shapes while listening to the story of the humble stonecutter who tries in vain to better his position. McDermott has built a career out of retelling mythological stories for kids; with vivid writing and beautiful images, this is great way to teach children about the importance of being content with what you have.
Members Reviews:
Teaches Gratitude
Parable reminding children that the grass isn't always greener and that the quest for ever more is unfulfilling.
Simple, elegant, profound
A simple elegant tale about desire- its insatiable nature, and what it misses in plain view! A tale for all ages (of human beings) through the ages!
Artwork fits perfectly!
Simple and elegant
I love everything about this picture book. It is just the right length for reading aloud without losing a toddler's attention, the illustrations are strikingly abstract, and the moral is profound -- don't keep trying to be something you're not. I can't believe it's out of print -- please, oh mighty Publishers-Who-Read-Amazon Reviews, bring this one back, for the good of the little ones and the parents who read to them!
Big Human Lessons in A Little Book...
Because I teach Humanities classes on various levels, I am always on the lookout for engaging resources that can bring the subjects of myth, legends, and folklore to life. Just browsing, I happened upon this little book, and I must say that it is impressive for the universal messages it conveys about humility, gratitude, envy, temptation, status, power, ambition, and the cycles of these things.
Ambition can take one far--to great heights even, but sometimes it can take one way too far, which the main character, Tasaku discovers. One major theme of the text is "Be careful what you wish for because it may come true, and if it does, there is a moment of choice---how to handle the gift that has been given." Another parallel theme is "with great power comes greater responsibility, especially for one's own actions." Running throughout the tale is the very Taoistic notion of "the Virtue of the Small." The smallest creatures can affect great / significant change--a little piece at a time--if they are just aware of themselves and if they embrace who and what they are. (For more reading about the Virtue of the Small, seek out B. Hoff's The Te of Piglet book.)
The images of The Stone-Cutter prove to be more symbolic shapes than specific details--all rendered in bold colors that look somewhat like expressive "brush" paintings--though I believe they are actually a form of collage. The illustrations truly compliment the curious story rather than detract, and they are unusual enough to capture the interests and imaginations of young people--teaching them to "look" into the pictures rather than just "see" them. Looking vs.
