The Real Story of Stone Soup is a picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch.

The stone soup folk story is often associated with European folklore, but Compestine retells it set in China.

The boys gather fish and other ingredients to make a delicious soup, then decide to trick the fisherman by digging a hole, filling it with water, and tossing in rocks.

[1] The book concludes with an author's note and a recipe for "Chang Brother's Egg Drop Stone Soup".

[6][7] In School Libraries Worldwide, Sue Kimmel, a librarian, discusses how the book can be used to teach critical thinking and science concepts.