Bibliography:
Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Ill. by William Steig. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1969. ISBN 9780671662691
Plot Summary:
Sylvester Duncan is a donkey who lives with his parents in Oatsdale. He loves to collect pebbles of unusual shapes and colors. He finds a special red pebble one rainy afternoon. While he is holding the pebble, he wishes it would stop raining and it does! He wonders if he has found a magic pebble, so he practices and finds out that it is magic. On the way home, a very excited Sylvester runs into a hungry lion, panics and turns himself into a rock. He cannot hold the magic pebble to make a wish, so he is stuck as a rock. He is so sad and worried, but he finally falls asleep. His parents are very concerned about him and ask everyone if they have seen him. A month goes by, a year goes by...still no Sylvester.
One day Sylvester's parents are trying to enjoy life, even though they are very sad, and decide to have a picnic. They have their picnic on a big rock, which just happens to be Sylvester, and Mr. Duncan finds the red pebble beside the rock. Sylvester realizes the rock is on his back and he wishes to be himself again and he is! The family did not need a magic pebble to know they wanted to be a family again.
Critical Analysis:
Steigs's characters are empathetic and I felt their pain through the expressions on their faces. I found the three main characters interesting and believable. Sylvester's hobby of collecting pebbles is a behavior many children this age would also enjoy.
The conflict of the story is Sylvester turning himself into a rock and his family missing him terribly. The plot is relevant to children and adults...who doesn't imagine the ability to make wishes? There is a logical series of events and a very satisfying ending to the story. The setting of Oaksdale and Strawberry Hill are important to the plot of the story as we envision the pain his parents are going through the year he is missing by the changing of the seasons.
Steig's writing pulls you further into the story with his easy, engaging style. Children will be interested in Sylvester's hobby of collecting unique pebbles and will then be excited as he finds a special red pebble that is magical. The ending brings home the realization that family and home is all we need to be happy.
Charming illustrations draw the reader's interest into the sweet story of Sylvester and his family.The illustrations complement the text beautifully. Watercolor illustrations capture the emotions of Sylvester and his family as they struggle through a hard time. Bright, yet soft in appearance, the illustrations capture the attention of children and adults. The illustrations help convey the theme of the story; that we should be grateful for what we have.
I read this story to my third and fourth graders in library this week; they loved it and gave it a unanimous thumbs up!
Review Excerpts:
- 1970 CALDECOTT Medal Winner
- Top 100 Picture Books #55 by School Library Journal
- 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime: Readers' Picks by Goodreads
- American Booksellers Association: Picture Book Hall of Fame (2014)
- Teachers Pick the Top 50 Books Ever; Top 25 Picture Books #7 (2006)
- Picked as one of the 100 Best Books of the Century by the California Teachers' Association
- From BookPage® Review by Abbey Anclaude- The good news is that Sylvester will continue to delight young readers for centuries to come."
- From The Horn Book Magazine -"A remarkable atmosphere of childlike innocence pervades the book; beautiful pictures in full, natural color show daily and seasonal changes in the lush countryside and greatly extend the kindly humor and the warm, unself-conscious tenderness."
Do a pair share with a book about the weather, such as Weather by Seymour Simon, National Geographic Kids Everything Weather: Facts, Photos, and Fun that Will Blow You Away by Kathy Furgang, or The Everything KIDS' Weather Book: From Tornadoes to Snowstorms, Puzzles, Games and Facts That Maker Weather for Kids Fun! by Joe Snedeker
Gather other books about magic to read such as:
The Magic Hat by Mem Fox ISBN 9780152057152
The Wizard of Wallaby Wallow by Jack Kent ISBN 9780819305138
The Hat by Tomi Ungerer ISBN 9780819303783
The Selkie Girl by Susan Cooper ISBN 9780689503900
Talk about special collections the children may have such as Sylvester's pebble collection.
Gather other William Steig books to read such as:
Doctor De Soto. ISBN 9780312611897
The Amazing Bone. ISBN 9780312564216
Amos & Boris. ISBN 9780312535667
