Milo and the Magical Stones

Milo and the Magical Stones  Marcus Pfister

North – South Books. New York.  1997. 26 pp.   ISBN: 1-55858-682-2

Target Audience-K-3 however this book could be used in grades as old as fifth to discuss themes like conservation and greed.

Summary- Milo is a young mouse who lives on an island with the other cliff mice.  They are happy and content with their lives and enjoy the simple things that life has to offer, collecting food, skipping stones, being with friends, and appreciating the nature around them.  After a winter storm, Milo hunts for food, but instead finds a wonderful gold stone that glows and gives off warmth.  The other mice of course want their own stones.  As Milo sets off to show them, the mice are all counseled by the old and wise Balthazar.  He tells the mice that the stones belong to the island and if they take something from the island, they must give something in return.  Here the book literally splits into two endings.  The pages are cut in half and the top half is the happy ending; the bottom half, the sad ending.   In the happy ending the mice follow Balthazar’s advice, but in the sad ending only Milo chooses to heed the old mouse’s words and tragedy befalls the island.

Characters-Milo, Balthazar, Island Mice

How does this book appeal to younger readers? The softly colored, large pictures and clear font make this book very appealing.  The colors are soft and muted, and the illustrations themselves are gentle and soft and blurred.  Most pages however have a stone that is bright, shiny, and that glitters in the light, contrasting to the rest of the page around it.  The theme is familiar for young children, who love to hunt and collect things, and who always seem to want what others have.  I think the beginning of the story, which shows Milo finding the first stone, will be very appealing, children love to find and have unusual things.  The happy ending is very much in line with picture books in that all works out well and everyone is happy, as all is well with the world and a lesson is simply learned.  The sad ending is surprising and unusual in its realistic consequences of greed and selfishness.  Here, too, a lesson is learned, but not so simply or reversibly, at least for the mice.

Is there staying power for this book? Very much so.  This book tackles the issues of conservation, sharing and greed.  These are timeless themes that are presented in a modern and understandable way.  There is no time period indicated in the book, so there is not a chance of dating the book either by the illustrations or the story itself.  This is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.

What recommendations will you make for classroom use/library use of this book? This book can certainly be used with a K-3 audience.   The children can read or listen to the book and have a discussion about the two endings.  The dual endings provide a format for comparing and contrasting, and supporting one’s opinion.  The book could also be used with older students as a jumping off point for a paper on environmentalism, the damage humans do to the Earth when over-using resources, and as an Earth Day “Mascot Book”. 

I would definitely recommend this book.