Never Satisfied: The Story of the Stonecutter by Dave Horowitz - ADVISABLE

Never Satisfied: The Story of the Stonecutter by Dave Horowitz. PICTURE BOOK. Nancy Paulsen Book (Penguin Young Readers Group), 2018. $17. 9780399548468

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE.

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A frog named Stanley starts this book as a stonecutter. When he sees a businessman in a cafe, he wishes, and is granted, to be a businessman. Being a businessman is great until he sees a king and wishes to be a king. He is grated this wish, but then realizes that the sun in the sky has more power than he does. This goes on until he wishes to be a stone and realizes the stonecutter has more power than he.

This is a great book with a simple message, simple text, and simple illustrations that all work together well. This would be a great addition to a unit on fables or folktales. I think a wide range of ages will be able to follow along and understand the message of this story, although appreciating the value of the lesson will land better with older readers.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher