I have come late to being a parent. The idea for Stone Soup came to me in 1972 when I was a college student teaching writing and art to community children in a University sponsored Saturday morning art program. My colleague, Gerry Mandel, and I have been working on the magazine ever since. My daughter is now just three-years-old. People often ask us, “Who is Stone Soup for?” And we’ve always said, “It is for children who love to read and write. “And that is correct, but as a parent, even if of a very young child, I think I can add to that to offer more guidance as you wonder whether Stone Soup is really right for the child in your life.
My daughter got interested in ballet from looking at clips on YouTube when she was a few months into being two. She was so interested in the YouTube clips that I bought her a ballet, the original version of Sleeping Beauty. She was fascinated. She watched it over and over. And so, I began to buy her more ballet’s. She watches Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, Nutcracker, and more. Rather than a goodnight story we have have goodnight ballet. Of course, she loves to dance and dances down the street, in restaurants and cafes, wherever there a flat space she is dancing. And seeing this, and my own reaction to it, has clarified for me who Stone Soup is really for.
Once can say that Stone Soup is for children who love to read and write, but I think better put is to say that it for children who are passionate about reading and writing. I can guarantee that if your child or grandchild is between the ages of 10 and 13 and is really passionate about reading and writing, then Stone Soup is the perfect gift, no qualms or hesitations about that.
We get letters from kids and from their parents telling us that when Stone Soup arrives in the house that the kid grabs the magazine and runs to her room and reads it cover to cover. Kids with passion for reading. We get letters from kids who write at a rate that most adult writers only dream of. Kids with passion for writing.
As one moves down from everyday passion to sometimes passion to no never Stone Soup becomes less sure. Only you know your child and what inspires. What I can say is that Stone Soup is by children. So, it is different from any other book or magazine you might bring into the house. There is many an adult author who was given up on at some point but who then found a spark and a deep interest in writing. We also know from letters that there are children who have been given Stone Soup and who then found their voice.
As with so many things we get for our children, it is often helpful if we put in effort, too. I watch ballets with my daughter. My enthusiasm (I am new to ballet) reinforces hers. You might want to read Stone Soup along with your child, at least at first.
If you have any questions about Stone Soup, please don’t hesitate to write. And if you have an experience to share about how your child interacts with Stone Soup, please leave a comment, below.
