Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

i bought this for my daughter as i remember loving it as a child. I love the story still as much as i did then - my daughter who is now 7- found the idea of Sylvester being away from his family as a rock very worrisome but she still askes for it over and over. still a favorite in our library of bedtime picks!

No, life isn't all rainbows and butterflies, but when I read a book with my child at the end of the day I do not want it to be the child's equivalent of a chick flick. I don't want to 'laugh & cry' with my character in the book. The donkey finds a magic pebble and wants more than anything to take it home and show his parents, but he doesn't get home because in his childish mind he makes a bad wish. For that he must feel hopeless and his parents have to think he's dead for a good half of the book. My son and I were both wondering, okay, how long is this going to go on, because this is quite depressing. And it went on a few more pages. By the end of the book they were reunited because they realized they wanted nothing more than to be with each other. I'm sure lots of normal well-rounded kids like and appreciate this story, but our family did not. I'd rather read something silly or heartwarming without having to have my son ponder the possibility that he could die and his parents would mourn him right before bed. No thanks. I think he knows the lesson of appreciate what you have and feels loved without me making him read this book. There are other oldies but goodies out there.

Ordered for a friend who is teaching 1st grade in New Orleans and building up her library. Didn't read the book myself, but she chose it on a wish list so I presume she thinks it's a good book for 1st graders.

This is a well-written book with good illustrations. However, the fear and anxiety that this book will induce is too much for little kids. Even as an adult, I felt awful reading this book to my already anxious 7 year old.

The basic plot: a boy makes a wish to turn himself into a rock so that a lion won't eat him. But, now that he is a rock, he cannot pick up the magic pebble to turn himself back. Six months passes and the boy's parents look for the boy everywhere, but they can't find him, and loses hope. In the end, the parents accidentally finds the magic pebble and unknowingly places it on top of the (former boy) rock. The rock turns back into the boy and the family is happily reunited.

Probably the best college course I ever took was children's literature - commonly called kiddie lit but I loved it. I was introduced to so many new friends including Sylvester. I missed him as a child but I got to share him with my children and my school children. William Steig is a genius in my humble opinion. I love all of his books. Sylvester is a great character and the story is so good. I just love it. It did not appear to be a dark story ever to me and I have shared it for years and years with students in my school library. It was always a very popular book and most children were impressed with Mr. Steig's career beginning so late in his life, too, which I found to be interesting.

The premise of "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" is fascinating. Imagine picking up a stone for no other reason than it looked interesting. Such happens to Sylvester, a young donkey.

As it turns out, the rock allows a wish, but Sylvester's fear wins out when he runs into a hungry lion, and he wishes he were a rock. He drops the stone, and begins the dreary life of a massive rock in a picnic area.

His parents are distraught. He aches for them, and they for him.

Will Sylvester again know the parental love only his mom and dad can offer after all he has done? Will his parents see again their joyful son?

The end is a happy one.

Every part of the book draws on fantasy, common childhood experiences, with excellent art and writing. William Steig earned his 1970 Caldecott Award on this one. He's also the author of the book, Shrek!, on which the famous movie series is loosely based upon.

I fully recommend "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble," by William Steig.

Anthony Trendl
treefortbooks.com

"He panicked," And that's why the magic pebble was rendered useless in precisely the moment its magic was needed.
Poor little, innocent one.... the panic functioned perfectly to save his life (he wished to be turned into a rock, upon coming face to face with a lion,) but the life saved by the magic did not deliver the real prize of life: happiness. Instead, Sylvester survived. The price of survival was to live a rock's life in the harsh elements of isolation from human companionship and absence of parental love.

But the power of the mutual love between Sylvester and his parents sets a miracle in motion, and brings about a happy reunion. They they put the pebble in an iron safe--having discovered they need not the "goods' which magic can deliver to ensure comfortable survival, and instead, they focus on celebrating what's right here and now: each other. After all, comfort is fleeting and temporary, but love is forever.

"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" is a charming children's story about a donkey family, the Duncans, and their son Sylvester who has an insatiable urge to collect pebbles of unusual shape and color. Life is just fine for the Duncans until Sylvester finds a magic pebble that grants wishes. Sylvester gets very excited after finding out by trial and error in a very childlike way that his latest pebble grants wishes. He rushes home to tell his parents and bumps into a lion on the way home. Being a young donkey, he has no idea how to wish himself out of danger with the lion so he wishes to...
One of the story's biggest surprises is that Sylvester's big wish to save himself from the lion is very to predict. I certainly, as an adult, would never have guessed what Sylvester wished for to save himself from the lion.
I picked up a very inexpensive soft cover edition of this book as a gift for the little boy I home-school. He has severe seizures that doctors haven't figured out how to control yet with medication. As a result he can't attend school and must be home-schooled until they find medications that can control his seizures. In addition, he is a Ukrainian immigrant who has been here less than a year so he is an LEP (Limited English Proficiency) student. I relate this information because it does relate to my book review since he was the child I purchased the book.
Being that my student relies upon me, his home-school teacher, for his entire link to schooling, education, and English training, I needed a book that:
1. Was well illustrated to keep a child's interest who didn't understand many of the words.
2. Had a touching story that made both of us thoughtful (and could cheer him up as well).
3. Had appropriate language for a child still in the developing stages of learning English.
4. Could somehow be relevant to the life of a child stuck at home with illness.
"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" was everything I asked for. The Duncans are a loving donkey family in the story and their love for another comes through in both the writing and illustrations. Both my student and I enjoyed the story and we're still reading it until my student will be able to read it on his own (He's getting closer too!).
I don't want to give away the story, but Sylvester wishes himself into a rock to escape the lion. Unfortunately as a rock, Sylvester couldn't make more wishes with the rock to return to being a donkey boy. The rest of the story relates how Sylvester felt as a rock, how his parents missed him and searched for him, and how Sylvester eventually returns to being a donkey boy again. My student related Sylvester being a rock to being stuck at home with seizures. The language, while at an intermediate to advanced level of English fluency, was appropriate with a little scaffolding (a fancy education term that means preparing the student with vocabulary and new concepts). Both my student and I loved "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble."
I highly recommend "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" to parents and children. It's a charming story that's innovative and distinctive from others.
Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Sylvester and The Magic Pebble, William Steig, Aladdin Library
This is a great, fictional, picture book. Sylvester the donkey has always loved collecting pebbles. One time he found a pebble that could grant wishes. On a rainy day when he was on his way home he saw a lion. He made a rational wish to be a rock. The thing is, once he was a rock he couldn't move to reach the pebble and wish himself back to normal. Read about Sylvester's life as a rock and what happens on the day his parents decide to go for a picnic.
The main character, in this book is Sylvester. He is a young, brown donkey, with pointy ears and a wart on his left forelock, (until he wished it away). He is an only child and is friends with all the colts and kittens, and other young animals. Sylvester seems so like a human that in some parts of the book you forget he is a donkey. The other two important characters are Mrs. and Mr. Duncan. They are like normal people. The father reads the newspaper and the mother knits while Sylvester looks at his pebble collection. They were heartbroken when Sylvester didn't come home from playing outside. Just like regular parents when they lose their child.
This is a great book and children and adults of all ages will enjoy it. The pictures are wonderful and help to explain the story to younger children. If you are looking for a good, funny, family picture book this is a great one. I loved this book because it was about something most people would never think of writing about. It's funny and almost sad in some places. I encourage everyone to read this book once, if not more.

Sylvester Duncan, a nice little donkey who lives with his mother and father collects pebbles of interesting shapes and colors. One rainy day, he finds a most remarkable bright red, shiny, round pebble on Strawberry Hill and as he examines it, feeling the cold rain on his back, he wishes it would stop raining. And it does. In the blink of an eye, the rain is gone and the sun is shining. Sylvester realizes that he has found a magic pebble, one that grants wishes and he begins to think of all the wonderful things he and his family and friends can wish for to make their lives happier. But at that moment, he looks up and sees a hungry lion looking at him and panics. Instead of wishing that the lion would disappear, he wishes he were a rock. And he becomes a rock. Unfortunately, the magic pebble is lying on the ground next to him, not on him and so even though he wishes and wishes that he were back to his old self again, nothing happens. As summer turns to fall, fall turns to winter and winter to spring, poor Sylvester, the rock, is stuck up on Strawberry Hill, missing his parents and trying to find a way back to his old self..... Award winning author and illustrator, William Steig, has written a charming and tender story about the meaning of true happiness, that's perfect for youngsters 4-8. In his very gentle way, he lets children discover that it's not always what you want that will make you happy, but what you already have. This simple, magical text, coupled with his wonderfully expressive cartoon-like artwork will capture children's imaginations as they wait to see if Sylvester will ever find a way to make his most important wish come true, to turn back into his old donkey self and be with his family. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is sure to become a classic and is a story your kids will want to read again and again.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble won the Caldecott Medal as the best illustrated children's story of 1970. The images stand out for their tender renditions of emotion in the faces and bodies of the animals in the illustrations. Nature is rendered in just as malleable a way to emphasize the changes going on in the story.
The story itself is a variation of the familiar theme of the grass being greener on the other side. In typical fashion, that fable theme is carried out here through many trials and tribulations that will help your child appreciate the joys of what otherwise would be consider humdrum. The strength of the story is the way the moral is made more explicit than in most other versions of this theme.
This book will never be forgotten by any child who reads it, and should be enjoyed by most children beginning around age 3. Fascination will tend to dull after age 6.
Sylvester Duncan (a donkey) lived with his parents. His favorite activity was to collect pebbles of unusual shapes and colors. One rainy Saturday during vacation, he was alone when he found a quite extraordinary one. It was "flaming red, shiny, and perfectly round, like a marble." Shivering in the rain, he wished that the sun would come out . . . and it did. The rain stopped so fast, "It CEASED." "It struck him that magic must be at work . . . ." He "guessed that the magic must be in the . . . pebble."
He then ran three tests. He started the rain, stopped it again, and got rid of a wart on his left hind fetlock.
Excited, he headed back home.
He ran into a lion. Startled, he made a wish without thinking. "I wish I were a rock." Well, he succeeded. The lion left.
The only trouble was, the pebble fell away from Sylvester. He could no longer hold it to make more wishes come true. He wished away, but still stayed a rock. It was a very dull occupation.
His parents were frantic, and started a massive search. Even the dogs could do no good because Sylvester smelled like a rock rather than himself. A year passed slowly.
Then through happenstance, the pebble touches Sylvester again. When he wished to be Sylvester again, he changed back in a twinkling!
The Duncan family was delighted to be reunited.
"Mr. Duncan put the magic pebble in an iron safe." "Some day they might want to use it, but really, for now, what more could they wish for?"
"They had all they wanted."
As you can see, this story is good for dealing with issues like your child's concerns about losing her or his parents, separation anxiety, the dangers of leaving home, and "magic" based fears. You can provide lots of encouraging reassurance as you read the story, explaining how your child's situation is much different from Sylvester's.
The illustrations pick up on the language in the story, so this book will be one of the easier books for you child to learn to read when he or she is around 5 or 6.
After you finish the story, I suggest that you ask your child what she or he would wish for if a magic pebble came along. Then talk about how one might obtain something just as good or better through your family's own efforts . . . without the benefit of magic. This can help your child appreciate the magic of mind and spirit within each of us to turn worthwhile wishes into reality. You can point out that this method has an advantage. It never turned anyone into a rock by accident!
Touch the magical imagination of your child to create a world of real potential for both of you!

Someone wrote that this book is too depressing. I beg to differ.

I'm not a professional child psychologist, but looking back on my own experience, and how much I loved this book as a child, I think children have very powerful feelings all the time, including longing and sadness. It's comforting to see those feelings described and reflected outside yourself. If adults act like the whole world is happy-happy all the time, it can feel very lonely and isolating when you have other feelings. I would venture to guess that empathizing with characters in stories helps children develop a sense of connection between their own feelings and other people's feelings. This connection makes us feel less lonely and also allows us to be genuinely caring toward others.

I can still see, in my mind's eye, the picture of Sylvester the Rock under a blanket of snow, and feel the almost unbearable empathy that I felt for him when I read this book as a child. But it was a good feeling to feel such profound emotions. It was not unpleasant--it was very real, alive, and human--it made me feel connected with the world. And it was a safe place to feel these emotions, because I knew how the story ended, I knew everything would be okay.

I loved this book very much. I wonder if I still have it...

The charm in this tale is the illustrations. The story of course is extremely engaging for children as well; we hear about Sylvester and his pebble that can give him wishes, but then he makes a mistake with the magic and gets himself into a situation where he cannot return to his family while trying to use the pebble to protect him from a lion. The way Sylvester's parents were so invested in finding him--and the way they got their reward--was completely heartwarming and enjoyable. Hopefully they won't be too freaked out by Sylvester being temporarily transformed, though.

There are some books that every child should hear and this is one of them. Sylvester is a beloved son with a happy life. He collects rocks and pebbles. One day he finds a very unusual one which he is holding when a lion appears and scares him. In a panic, he wishes he was a rock so the lion will not hurt him. He becomes a rock. Be careful what you wish for.

Seasons pass and Sylvester, in his misery, goes into a kind of sleep. The grief of his parents for their missing son is tenderly rendered in Steig's simple drawings. His parents decide to go on a picnic in order to cheer themselves up a bit. They find a large gray rock that they can use as a table. They also find a strange pebble that they place on the rock.

Children become very caught up in this story and the sad silence that settles over them as they contemplate the terrible spot Sylvester is in makes the happy ending even more joyful. It is lots of fun to use the Sylvester doll that morphs into the rock when sharing the book with kids.

The movie rights to this book have been purchased. This story is a keeper.

My granddaughters, now ages 7 and 9, have adored this book for 3 or 4 years. Something some of you may not remember or know: when it was first published, there was some controversy about the illustrations. Why? Well, all the characters in the story are animals, and the police were portrayed as PIGS. (Those of you who remember the 60s-70s may remember this less-than-affectionate term for our police officers.) I remember this well because I was a children's librarian at the time. OF COURSE I read the book to the kids! And they loved it! I'm sure Mr. Steig had no intention of making a disparaging political statement! The story is thrilling for little ones - they worry how on earth Sylvester will get that pebble back and be reunited with his parents. It's a very reassuring, affirmative statement about the love of family (and being careful what you wish for).

A worrisome tale wrought with sorrow and, ultimately, joy. But, just the same, a worrisome tale. In this classic Steig work, a young donkey comes across a magic pebble. The pebble is round and smooth and a brilliant red. Entranced by it, Sylvester finds that he can wish for whatsoever he chooses and instantly receive it. Overjoyed he turns for home, but finds himself confronting a hungry lion. In his haste and fear, Sylvester accidentally wishes he were a rock. Unfortunately, this wish works but leaves Sylvester trapped in his new rocky form. And when his parents look for him high and low and cannot find him, Sylvester is believed to be forever lost. But as I said, all turns out well in the end.
This story is somewhat heart-wrenching to parents. Certainly the kids that read it will understand how sad Sylvester would be to potentially never return home again. And parents reading this will be overwhelmed with the emotions involved with the loss of a child. Perhaps this story won the 1970 Caldecott medal because it does go so far as to directly touch on this most sensitive of topics. At the same time, this may be a kids book but it's too much for me. Silly, isn't it? I can zip through William Styron's "Sophie's Choice" and have a grand old time, but "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" reduces me to a pile of wobbling jello. Enjoy with caveats galore.

William Steig's Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is one of the greatest picture books yet written. Steig is really the master of the genre.
The story is of Sylvester, who is accidentally turned into a rock by a magic pebble. This horrid situation causes Sylvester and his family to realize the true love they have shared and tosses them into total boredom with life. They have to find a way to get back to one another.
The book is so moving. The pictures are beautiful as is the prose. The story teaches the joy of love that families should share. It can also be read on an even deeper level as a metaphor for death and the redemptive power of love. Overall, this is an entertaining and brilliant book which can pack an enormous punch within its few pages.

Sylvester the donkey collects rocks, and when he finds a special one, he adds it to his collection. While holding it , he wishes for the rain to stop, and it does. Finding that the pebble is magic, Sylvester hurries on his way to tell his parents. However, on the way home, he is confronted by a lion hungry for donkey for lunch. Remembering the magic pebble, Sylvester wishes to be a rock. Bad decision! With no way of holding the rock, Sylvester cannot change himself back to a donkey after the threat is gone. Will he be a rock forever?
Great story, Caldecott medal winner. Subtly teaches your kids that "things" aren't the important things in life, your family is. Short and enjoyable, this is one your kids won't ever want to part with and will pass on to their children.

One day, Sylvester Duncan, an endearing young burro whose hobby is collecting unusual pebbles, happens upon a truly extraordinary one. Not only is it particularly beautiful, but as Sylvester is soon to discover, it possesses powerful magical properties.

Sylvester's intentions are good and he plans to make use of the power of the pebble to help others. Nevertheless, the use of magic quickly becomes tragic, and Sylvester finds himself in a desperate situation from which escape seems all but impossible.

Reading this book to my daughters, I found myself on an emotional roller coaster ride, as the little donkey is extricated from his plight just as all hope is lost.

This is an excellent book, beautifully illustrated, and clearly deserving of the Caldecott Medal which it won in 1970.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a meaningful story about a donkey named Sylvester Duncan. On a mysterious day, Sylvester found a magic pebble and realized that the special pebble would grant him any wish. Suddenly he sees a lion, and in a panick, out of all the things he could have wished for, he wished to turn into a rock. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan were frantically worried, as Sylvester had not returned home. I enjoyed this story, as it makes the reader aware of the love and joy families should share, and to always be careful for what you wish for.

At a recent get-together with my grown children, we discussed memorable childhood moments. Holly said she always will remember Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. It is a book that will ALWAYS be remembered. Children cannot learn how to empathize until they know how it feels to put themselves in the place of another. This book is an amazing lesson in just that!

Sylvester is an endearing story of an only child mule, his parents, and magic. Parts of it can seem long to younger readers and the CD is nice to have. I am a true fan of William Steiger so of course I like this book. The illustrations are great and some of the vocabulary is excellent for younger readers or those to whom the story is read.

This is an entertaining read-aloud for a class. My students (ages 4-5) always enjoyed this story. It has universal appeal. Very endearing tale. Great for a story-starter to talk about what would you do if you found a magic pebble.

This is one of the classic stories that kids love for years. Getting your wishes granted is something every child dreams off. But in this story Sylvester's wish turns him into a rock with no way to get his it undone. Sylvester is desperate, as are his parents. They are separated and long to be together again. The story ends happily when they're reunited.

Being separated from parents is a subject that is scary and exciting for most children. This story touches that subject in a magical way. It's a very touching story with a great story structure.

Martine Groeneveld, Author Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy; Rhymes, Songs and Touch-Play Activities to Stay Connected

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig, is one of my favorite books. The illustrations are so real even though the characters are all animals. The book makes you feel excited, scared, sad, worried and happy. The pictures of Sylvester's parents looking sad and worried, made me feel very bad. I believed that they were really heart broken after Sylvester was lost. Even my dad noticed that the illustrations are awesome. He said, "I can't believe you can make a donkey look so sad". In the end, I felt really happy when Sylvester and his mom and dad are all together again. It makes you think about how good it is to have a family.
I am glad my mom got this book for my brother and me.

I am a student at West Virignia State College taking Children's Literature. As part of our assignment, we were to read a Caldecott Award Winning Book and write our personal review.
I thought the book was adorable! It was a cute story and I am confident that small children would enjoy this book. The artwork is bright and vivid and tells the story right along with the words. It could be used as tool to teach children about wishing for things that we want is not always good for us.
The choice of words used in the story was ones that allow opportunity to teach new vocabulary words or new ideas to younger children. Some examples are ceased, perplexed, bewildered, and frantic.

I read this book for storytime at my local library. The children AND adults loved it. The adults APPLAUDED at the end of the story. It's a beautiful, gut-wrenching, heart-warming story. I could read it again and again.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is William Steig's third book and the only book Steig wrote and illustrated that won the Caldecott Medal. This story is about a donkey named Sylvester Duncan and his family. Sylvester lives with his parents on Acorn Road in Oatsdale. One of Sylvester's hobbies is collecting pebbles of unusual shapes and colors. One rainy day Sylvester finds a red pebble that will grant him wishes. On his way home to show the pebble to his parents a lion frightens him at Strawberry Hill. To save himself he wishes he were a stone. His problem was he could not wish himself back because the red pebble was not touching him because he was a rock with no hands. A year passed and his family thought that they would never find their darling child, until one day on a picnic at Strawberry Hill. His parents eat on the very stone, which is Sylvester. His dad picks up the red pebble and wishes his son was with them. The dad puts the red pebble on the stone and Sylvester wishes that they were back together and at that moment he is a donkey again. The family puts the rock away to wait until they really need something again.

Steig addresses the theme of children's fears of separation from their parents, as well as their fears and terrors and even wishes for radical transformations. Steig uses realistic fiction and animal fantasy in this book. This is true because the book is about animals doing human like things, which is Animal Fantasy. The fact that Sylvester finds a magic pebble and turns into a stone is fantasy. At the same time, if you think of the characters as people, this story could really have happened, as far as people do have families, they have picnics, and children get separated from their parents. I consider Sylvester and the Magic Pebble a good book. Books for younger children usually focus on one or two main characters, cover short time sequences, and most often are set in one place. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble has one main character, Sylvester, and it is set in two places, Acorn Road and Strawberry Hill. The time sequence is also very short. Even though the book spaced over a year, the time went by quickly. Sylvester was a rock for each season and each page of the book had a new season, therefore he was soon reunited with his family. Sylvester is also supposed to be the age of a child, therefore a child that reads this book will be able to identify with the central character. This too is an example of a good book. The language is concrete and vivid and not overly complex. This story primarily names characters and their actions, nothing too hard for a child to put together. This book allows the reader to put themselves in Sylvester's shoes, so they can have empathy for what it must be like to be separated from your family by accident. This book does not overly teach a moral and is mostly an enjoyable read. Once Sylvester's parents find him, they do not even want to use the magic pebble anymore, because they want nothing more then their son. This shows that the book has truth to it with the human experience of realizing what you have once you have lost it. The illustrations are equally as appealing as the text itself. I love how William Steig is the author and illustrator in all his books. Overall, the genre, plot, language, characters, style, theme, and illustrations all come together to make a satisfying whole, therefore I would absolutely consider Sylvester and the Magic Pebble a good book. This book would be great to read in the classroom. I thought of several teaching connections. The book talks about a donkey that collects pebbles. You could talk to the class about collections and encourage them to share about ones they have or start a collection for the class. Talking about different pebbles also allows for you to talk about the different kinds of rocks and gem stones. This is a great science lesson that you could even take a field trip to a gem mine and see what types of gems the students could find. You could also use this book in talking about animals. This book does not show the typical animal actions, but you could talk about how the animals in the book are trying to act more like humans and explain these differences. You could also do an art lesson, where students would find a large pebble and as a class everyone could paint pebbles. You could also teach children how colors mix to make different colors during this lesson.