Review - A Stone Sat Still

A Stone Sat Still
by Brendan Wenzel
Date: 2019
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 56
Format: e-book
Source: library

In this moving companion to the Caldecott Honor–winning They All Saw a Cat, Brendan Wenzel tells the story of a seemingly ordinary stone. But it isn't just a stone—to the animals that use it, it's a resting place, a kitchen, a safe haven...even an entire world. With stunning illustrations in cut paper, pencil, collage, and paint, and soothing rhythms that invite reading aloud, A Stone Sat Still is a gorgeous exploration of perspective, perception, sensory experience, color, size, function, and time, with an underlying environmental message that is timely and poignant. Once again Wenzel shows himself to be a master of the picture book form.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read They All Saw a Cat earlier this year. I have to say, that one was just okay for me. I think I enjoyed A Stone Sat Still a lot more.

Both books are about different perspectives, but they approach the topic in slightly different ways. They All Saw a Cat shows how various creatures see the cat that's prowling through the scenes. A Stone Sat Still is more about how the stone--a steady constant--influences the lives of the various creatures that encounter it.

The pictures are interesting, though not quite as fascinating as in They All Saw a Cat. The tone gets a little heavy toward the end, too, with the environmental message. But I still think it's a worthwhile book to read, as it shows how one thing can be perceived and used in so many different ways.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.86 out of 5