The Stone

Subtitled ‘A Persian legend of the Magi’, the genesis of this captivating tale lies in the journals of Marco Polo. Passing through the town of Saveh in Persia, he came across three strange, ornate tombs with domed roofs. Balthasar, Melchior and Jasper were the three men buried in the tombs, and Hofmeyr’s narrative offers a fascinating perspective on them as the Three Wise men following a fiery light in search of a baby, king who would bring ‘justice, and healing, and peace to the world’. For children familiar with the biblical account, the adventures recounted here – of star-gazing magicians who brave scorching winds in the desert until the discovery of a simple shelter beneath the star – make for compelling reading. The denouement in two striking parts, challenges assumptions in arresting style.

What distinguishes this publication is the outstanding complementary nature of text and illustration. Each highly coloured double spread succeeds somehow in being both understated and extremely detailed so that the important pace and exciting vision of the story are roundly communicated. Highly recommended for all primary children as part of their general reading for religious and moral education.