When you are full of fear, how do you stop being afraid? With the help of his Mishoomis, a boy undertakes a vision quest to help conquer his nightmares.

After waking from a nightmare, a boy asks his Mishoomis for help. His Mishoomis tells him that in order to face his fears, he must find the black stone.

With his Mishoomis's voice to guide him, the boy embarks on a vision quest to search for the black stone among the tall trees of the jungle, in the depths of the ocean and through the barren desert. He encounters many dangers including a sudden storm and menacing animals. Through it all, the boy finds himself guided by the very creatures he'd once feared. Will he be able to find the black stone? Will he be able to find himself?

Inspired by a traditional Ojibwe story and brought to life by Maya McKibbin's comics-inspired illustrations, Black Stone is a journey of finding one's own inner strength. Accompanied by an author's note explaining Ojibwe vision quests and the author's connection to the story.

Key Text Features

writing inspiration

author's note

illustrations

comics

panels

Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2

With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3

With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6

With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2

Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3

Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6

Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7

Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.