Sheldon Oberman (1949–2004)

The White Stone in the Castle Wall is a great book about a little boy who had it all and then lost it all except the white stone, which he thought was worthless to him. After he carried the stone through the rain and he pulled it and waited for hours he then found out it was worthless. But to him it was not worth less and he ended up with everything again.

I really liked this story. I liked how it showed hard work, courage and it showed how something you think is worthless is actually worth show more a lot to you. I can relate to this because I have a lot of stuffed animals and dolls from when I was younger and even though my mom thinks they are JUST stuffed animals and dolls and that I should get rid of them, to me they are memories and each one of those stuffed animals and dolls mean something different to me.

I would use this in a classroom to show students how to appreciate the things they have and to know that it has some value to them, whether they know it or not. show less

This is a story based on the biblical tale of the meeting of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, as well as Jewish European folklore and African legend. The Queen of Sheba came to King Solomon to learn something important. She witnessed him answer many questions, but wanted to see what he could do with his knowledge. So she challenged him to make a palace of bird beaks. King Solomon called all the birds, so he could chop their beaks off to build the palace. The hoopoe bird was late, and show more King Solomon got very angry. The bird had stopped to get him a gift--three gifts in fact: three things he did not know. The hoopoe asked the king his three questions. And while Solomon was able to answer, the questions made him realize the destructiveness and folly of what he was about to do. show less

King Soloman is wise, the wisest man in the world. One day, the Queen of Sheba--the wisest woman in the world--arrives at the gates of Jerusalem. She has come form a faraway land to see Solomon put this wisdom to work. "Name anything," says the king. What the queen asks of Solomon is startling. To fulfill her request, he must change the birds of the sky--and change them forever. Soon the fate of every bird in the world rests with a small, colorful bird called the hoopoe.

John Tommy Fiddich was a young boy who took pride in his family garden. His garden was full of vegetables and he considered himself the luckiest boy I the world. When a hailstorm and insects destroyed his garden, he went from being the luckiest to the unluckiest boy. He was left with nothing but a huge gray rock that would not allow anything to grow around it or under it. So when Sir Henry M. Pellatt sent out an announcement that he would give one dollar for any dull colored stone to help show more build a wall for his castle, John Tommy Fiddich became the luckiest boy once again. He put the rock in wheelbarrow and set off for the castle. He walked all through the city and through the rain and finally made it to the castle. However, John Tommy Fiddich did not realize that rock had been stripped of its dull gray color and was now bright white. After seeing the rock the builder denied it and he was the unluckiest boy again. While sitting in the castle's garden he offered the rock to the man working in the garden and explained to him why he was willing to give it away for free. The man introduced himself as Henry Pellatt and accepted the stone. He promised to put it in his wall and gave John Tommy Fiddich a silver dollar. Then he asked the boy to come and work in his garden. Now everyone in town considers John Tommy Fiddich the luckiest boy in the world.

I enjoyed this story because it is relatable. It showed that we have good days and bad days but they always turn around.

I would use this book to teach what historical fiction is and what to look for in the pictures and in the language used. I would also use the story to influence students to research the Casa Loma and other castles during that time period. show less