Sylvestor and the Magic Pebble
Bibliography
Steig, William. 1969. SYLVESTOR AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE. Ill. by William Steig. New York, NY: Windmill Books Inc. ISBN 0671662694
Plot Summary
Sylvestor the donkey comes across a magic pebble and accidently wishes himself into a rock. Unable to wish himself back, he watches as the seasons go by and his family and friends search for him and miss him. One day, his parents have a picnic on the hill that he sits on and find the magic pebble. After they place it on his back, Sylvestor wishes himself back to normal and he and his parents are happy again.
Critical Analysis
Steig's Caldecott award winning picture book, Sylvestor and the Magic Pebble, shows his readers how families bring happiness and how you have to be careful what you wish for. The plot itself is simple, with frequent medium-sized paragraphs and complex sentences, making this a book that can help prepare children for chapter books. The author's diction begins to expose kids to complex language (ceased instead of stopped, perplexed instead of worried), but this diction gets the reader interested in the story
Steig's pen and ink illustrations make the page vibrant in color and make it easy to read the characters' emotions. The placement of some of the pictures (around the sentences or over the sentences) draw the readers' eyes all over the page and make them pay attention to the detail of the artwork. The shading makes many of the images pop.
Overall, Steig has produced a tale of magic and heart that people can continue to read for years to come and that will make children's' imaginations soar.
Review Excerpts
Caldecott Medal 1970
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award 1978
Kirkus Reviews: "...surely the prize predicament of the year and, in William Steig's pearly colors, one of the prettiest... is a fable of happy families of all breeds."
Connections
More by William Steig: Shrek!, Doctor De Soto, Abel's Island
If I Found a Magic Pebble...: Have the students write what they would wish for if they found a magic pebble like Sylvestor
More picture books with animal characters: The Story or Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Oliva by Ian Falconer
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