A boy becomes a man searching for the perfect stone. In this story, it tales a very long time searching for the perfect stone. While the story is ell written, I think that is a philosophical story that may not be realized unless read by adults or taught at school by a teacher. You can make it just about finding a stone story but feel that it is so much more.

This is an excerpt of a review that was originally published on my website: <a href="https://www.missjennysclassroom.com/2018/03/perfect-stone-book-review.html">Miss Jenny's Classroom</a>

This book is about a boy who loves stones of all types, colours, and sizes. The problem is he is looking for a particular stone - the perfect stone. He lives in a place where stones are everywhere and one day he discovers a huge pile of stones. His journey of searching for perfection lasts days, then months, then years...until there are no more stones in the pile.

I was quite surprised at first to find the illustrations on the inside were so different from the cover. The illustrations (in the advance copy I received) in the book are line art (black and white) but I actually really liked that - for a couple of reasons. The simplicity of the illustrations in terms of colour goes hand-in-hand with the philosophical point of the book. Philosophical concepts are really difficult at times to get through to students - some will "get it" but other won't. I imagine that if the boy had found the perfect stone it would have lit up the page in stunning colour which again I think makes the point that he doesn't find perfection - because true perfection really doesn't exist and that we should celebrate beauty. My other reason for liking the illustrations is that if you homeschool you can get your kids to colour in the pictures in their own way which I feel is a great way to engage with the book.

The story doesn't play second-fiddle in this one and holds its own. The simple sentences keep you focused on the boy and his quest and as the boy grows into a man there is slightly more text on the page (perhaps a subtle way of showing the complexity of growing up - or maybe I'm over-thinking there). Even though the story itself doesn't really have a firm conclusion it does have an ending - something that is difficult to accomplish. The story did make me sit back and ponder the man and what became of him but reflect on my own life to see if I was searching for the 'perfect stone'.

This fable was a good effort and I do appreciate the sentiment of the "moral" at the end. Overall though, the boy's obsession didn't ring true -- I didn't get the sense that he was searching for perfection, because we are told repeatedly how much he already loves and appreciates the things he finds. Also, the simple line illustrations just weren't doing it for me, especially when the text speaks of things like color and beauty.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)