Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Bibliographic Information:

Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1969.  ISBN 0-671-66154-X

Summary:
Sylvester Duncan is a donkey who lives with his mother and father.  His hobby is collecting pebbles that he thinks are unusual in color and shape.  When he finds a bright, shiny red, perfectly round pebble and happens to make a wish that it stop raining while holding it, he discovers his wishes come true when he’s holding that special pebble.  When he encounters a mean, hungry lion and panics, he wishes himself into the form of a large rock so he won’t be eaten.  Trouble is, he then cannot touch the pebble which is necessary to wish himself back to normal.  His parents miss him terribly and searches are conducted high and low with no sign of their dear Sylvester.  As the seasons pass and he remains a rock, the situation seems quite hopeless until, one day, his parents go on a picnic.  Readers will delight in what occurs.

Critical Analysis:

This is a fun book full of wishes and cute animals that most children seem to really love.  It starts out showing much love and happiness within Sylvester’s family and then he seems to hit the proverbial jackpot when he finds the special pebble that grants his wishes.  With his metamorphosis into a rock and his parents’ subsequent unfruitful search for and mourning over him, the book becomes quite sad.  This ends soon enough though and we are treated to a wonderful happy resolution to the story.

Reading book reviews of children who read this story really shows the breadth of subject matter addressed.  There were lots of mentions of them loving all the animal characters (no humans in this book), the wishes/magic Sylvester enjoyed and learned about and especially the happy ending.  It was also funny when the lion couldn’t believe his eyes, swearing he had just seen a donkey, not a rock.  The children seem to come away with the belief that wishes can indeed come true and that always makes for a magical story time. 

One young reviewer said she came away with a better understanding of the importance of thinking before you do something (like wishing oneself into the form of a boulder!)  What a mature lesson to glean from this fairytale-like book.  Perhaps the deepest, most meaningful lesson taken away though is the importance of family.  At the end when they recover both Sylvester and the magic pebble, the family puts the pebble away because, at that moment, “they had all they wanted.”

The illustrations – done by the author himself – are always entertaining.  The use of animals in human roles and the beautiful outside scenes as each season passes really move the narrative along.  The scenes of the happiness and sadness on the parent’s faces are very moving.  The tears and smiles seem so genuine.  With all the depth they have, they are also simply cute and colorful which is very appealing to readers of all ages.

The book has sometimes found itself on banned/challenged lists due to the depiction of pigs as police officers in the book.  I’m not sure if the author intended any kind of double meaning with this but all the usual human roles in the book are filled by animals and those particular characters do nothing besides attempt to help Sylvester’s parents find him.  The merits of the book outweigh any controversy such as this.

Awards: 

Caldecott Medal Winner – 1970

Book Review excerpts:

“’Sylvester's only chance of becoming himself again was for someone to find the red pebble and to wish that the rock next to it would be a donkey’--surely the prize predicament of the year and, in William Steig's pearly colors, one of the prettiest. How Mother and Father Duncan (donkey), despairing of finding their son, do eventually break the red pebble's spell and bring back Sylvester is a fable of happy families of all breeds.” (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 1969)

“It is so easy to identify with Sylvester. His childlike expression and his faith in the magical stone touch the believer in all of us. His wanting more out of life is a universal issue. The problem is surprising and seemingly insurmountable. Children will get great joy from exploring ways to help Sylvester….Awarded the Caldecott Award Medal in 1970, the story will continue to delight a new generation of children.” - Elizabeth Allen (Children's Literature)

“Once again, William Steig addresses one of childhood's biggest latent fears, abandonment. But his gentle, unerring handling of this issue makes for an endearing story full of pathos and strength. Steig's belief in the magic (mysteries) of life is central to this story, both in creating the anxious situation and relieving it.” – Review by Kevin McCaffrey of CommonSenseMedia.org

Six reviews by readers ages 5 – 8 found here: 

http://www.spaghettibookclub.org/title.php?find=1&title=Sylvester%20and%20the%20Magic%20Pebble

Connections/Further Activites:
*Children could discuss what they would wish for if they found a magic pebble like Sylvester
*Children could discuss their hobbies and what, if anything, they collect or would like to collect
*Children could discuss what they would have done when faced with the lion (besides wishing themselves into rock form!)

Read-alikes and books with which to pair this title:
Novelist has a list of “Must Read Classics for grades K – 2” that includes this title.  The list can be found here:  http://web.ebscohost.com/novpk8/detail?vid=6&sid=078e3c50-cd84-4ca7-a22b-500a8f7b002a%40sessionmgr104&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9bm92cGs4LWxpdmU%3d#db=njh&UI=433697