In this State Standards-aligned Literature Kit(TM), we feature ready-to-use information and activities for beginning readers. We include activities in language, reading comprehension and writing that focus on phonics, word study, comprehension, writing, and reading response. Start off an open discussion with the Before You Read discussion questions. Then, read the story out loud as you use the As You Read questions to engage the students in the story. Follow-up with the After You Read questions to see if the students have comprehended the story. Also included are writing tasks, graphic organizers, comprehension quiz, test prep, word search, and crossword to further develop students' critical thinking and writing skills, and analysis of the text. About the Novel: The classic folk tale of three soldiers who feast on soup made from just water and stones. On their way home from war they stop at a village however the locals did not share their food. The soldiers discovered that from three round stones they made soup of salt, pepper, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, beef, barley and milk. After an evening of eating and dancing, each soldier is offered a bed in one of the village's important houses and the next morning, with bags filled with food, the three soldiers leave the village to continue their journey home. The villagers are happy and thankful that the soldiers showed them how to never go hungry again. All of our content is aligned to your State Standards and are written to Bloom's Taxonomy.