Donkey Little Turns into a Stone

Author: William Steig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: This book won the 1970 Caldecott Medal! This award represents the highest honor in the field of American children's picture books. "Love is a Miracle"
Author: Zhu Ziqiang (Director, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the Institute of Children's Literature, Ocean University of China)
This is a story about the magic of love. Children are not unfamiliar with magic. From the "Open, Sesame" spell in Aladdin to Harry Potter's flying broomstick, countless magical stories capture children's souls during the day and seep into their dreams at night. Magical stories are like sunshine and rain, nourishing the seeds of deep and powerful imagination in children's hearts. However, there is another kind of story that sprinkles even more magical sunshine and rain. When children's hearts are soaked in this sunshine and rain, they grow like giants in fairy tales, maturing overnight. This magical sunshine and rain is "love." "The Little Donkey Turns to Stone" is such a magical story that sprinkles the sunshine and rain of love.
The little donkey who received the red magic stone encountered a hungry lion. He should have used the magic stone to make the lion disappear, but out of fear, he turned himself into a stone. The red magic stone was right beside him, but he couldn’t reach it. His only chance was for someone to not only notice the red stone but also hope that the rock next to it would turn into a donkey. But who in the world would wish for a rock to turn into a donkey? According to the author of the story, "the chance is at most one in a billion." Will the little donkey turn back? Can we witness the miracle?
The donkey father and donkey mother go on a picnic to Strawberry Mountain. Everything that changes next is related to love and family: The donkey mother sits on the rock where the little donkey turned into stone, and "her warm body woke the hibernating little donkey"; the donkey father sees the red stone. If he doesn’t cherish the little donkey’s hobby of collecting stones and doesn’t miss him in his heart, how could he pick up the stone and place it gently on the rock? If the parents hadn’t expressed their strong desire for the little donkey to be with them, how could the little donkey unconsciously whisper in his heart, "I wish to turn back to my original self!" In this story, magic also needs love to be awakened to work! Without the deep love of the donkey mother and father for the little donkey, the red stone would just be an ordinary stone. Love turns the stone into gold, turning a one-in-a-billion chance into a 100% miracle.
After sharing the joy and happiness of the little donkey’s reunion with his parents, let’s savor the last part of the story: "When they got home, the donkey father put the magic little stone in a steel safe. Maybe one day they would need it, but right now, really, what else could they want? They already had everything they desired." So, I want to say, this is not only a story about how love creates miracles through magic, but also a story about how love is the most precious treasure in the world.
Art is a meaningful form. The feature of the story "The Little Donkey Turns to Stone" lies in its fullness of twists and turns, with piled-up conflicts and problems leading the story to its climax, waiting for the force called "love" to resolve it. Love is a powerful undercurrent, driving the development and change of the story. "The Little Donkey Turns to Stone" won the 1970 American Caldecott Gold Medal. This award represents the highest honor in the field of American children's picture books. The non-realistic painting style adopted in this work represents the trend of modern American children's picture book art.
Gives Children the Power of Love and Hope
Author: Red Shell
A small, red stone, like fire, sparkling, and round like a marble, possesses the magical ability to grant wishes. For the little donkey, who loves collecting various stones, this discovery is indeed an unexpected surprise. This is the opening of "The Little Donkey Turns to Stone." The lucky little donkey has obtained a wishing stone. What will he get? Will he be able to have whatever he wants, like his parents, relatives, friends, and everyone else? He hurriedly carries the stone home, only to encounter a hungry tiger on the way. At this point, we know the red stone can help him, but let’s not forget the little donkey is still a child. This might be his first time facing danger independently, so he panics and forgets how to use the red stone. He turns himself into a stone with the red stone.
Wishing is an exciting thing, but the little donkey’s wish was indeed a terrible one. He avoided danger but also got into trouble. Turned into a stone, he couldn’t pick up the red stone to wish himself back to normal. Only two kilometers away from home, but he had no way to return. The red stone still lay quietly beside the little donkey, but the magic couldn’t save him. At this moment, what could help him?
Days and nights passed normally, and the little donkey’s rocky body lay alone in nature, spending each moment in solitude. He had already decided to slowly get used to his new identity. This is undoubtedly not a story about the magic of luck and trickery. So, the only possible solution seems to be this: The lost little donkey’s parents tried every possible way to find him but failed. Despite their sorrow and sadness, they did not give up hope. As time passed, the strong parents encouraged themselves, "We still have to live well as before." So, they came to the mountain where the little donkey turned into a rock for a picnic.
When the donkey father and mother sat beside the rock where the little donkey had turned, a strong sense arose: "I have a strange feeling that our son is still alive, and he’s nearby." The donkey mother said. "I wish to turn back to my original self! I wish to turn back to the real me!" The little donkey thought. Now, his wish came true. It turned out that the donkey father and mother had placed the red stone on the little donkey’s back. The little donkey, who had finally turned back, was finally reunited with his parents! The scene was illuminated by a golden sun, shining on this reunited, happy family. Joyful tears and joyful smiles intertwined, as the author put it, "a loving gaze and a joyful exclamation!" The power of love had finally been shown at this moment. The way to save the little donkey was love, and never giving up hope.
The focus of the story lies in the last sentence: "When they got home, the donkey father put the magic little stone in a steel safe. Maybe one day they would need it, but right now, really, what else could they want? They already had everything they desired."
When the little donkey first received the stone, he thought of giving his family everything they wanted. But he didn’t expect that in the next moment, he would be separated from his parents, nor did he realize that he himself was everything to his parents. The magic gave him a test, and the process was helpless and terrifying. But the pain of losing made every member of the family truly experience the preciousness of love, the value of reunion. The red stone, which could bring them everything, no longer mattered.
"The Little Donkey Turns to Stone" is a warm story that embodies the love of family. But it doesn’t just want to tell you and your child this truth—it also wants to tell you that no matter how disappointed or frustrated you are, maintaining a good attitude and carrying hope through every difficulty will eventually lead to unexpected rewards. It may not be getting back what you lost, but at least you’ll gain a joyful mindset and enduring strength.
If your child hasn’t yet deeply understood this meaning, that’s okay. The little donkey’s winding experience is enough to make your child understand how important his parents are. You might take this opportunity to tell him (her), "There’s a magic that can make your wishes come true, but remember, your parents are waiting for you at home. Don’t turn into a stone, okay!"