The Wretched Stone was a spooky. Chris Van Allsburg's dark palette and huge two-page spreads (The hardcover book is 9" x 11".) feel emotionally heavy and creates an ominous tone. The crew of a sailing ship becomes obsessed with a glowing stone and mutates into monkeys. When the captain discovers this, he writes, "What I have just seen is so horrifying I barely have the strength to write it down." This text and illustration was downright creepy. Yes, there's likely a weighty philosophical message here, but for children, maybe they should be warned that this story may be scary.
ideas by jivey has two lessons for this book: a Sample Mentor Sentence Lesson and Activity and No Prep Reading and Writing Unit. Room 715 has Imagery & Symbolism in The Wretched Stone. Modified Middle School Special Education Resources has questions.
