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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

by William Steig

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Sylvester collects pebbles and has in his possession a magical pebble. In a moment of panic, he turned himself into a rock to hide from a lion. His family searched high and low but couldn’t find Sylvester until they had a picnic on his back and put the pebble on Sylvester. He wished to be a donkey again and all was well.

I love the conflict and irony, that Sylvester was so close, yet so far away. The illustrations are beautiful. I think that the theme is great to teach kids: Be careful what you wish for. And what you wish for may be right in front of your eyes.

In a classroom, we could decorate our own magic pebbles. We could also write a paper about what kind of things we would wish for if we had magic pebbles.
1 vote AStall | Sep 20, 2009 |
This book is about a donkey named Sylvester. He likes to collect pebbles. One day he picked up a magic pebble. This pebble made any wish come true. One day he came across a lion and wished to be a rock to hide himself from the lion. He parents looked so hard for him. This is a good family story filled with magic. The illustrations are so bright. This would be a fun story book for a classroom. I really enjoyed this book. This book can be a good self lesson to learn. Not to be to greedy and be thnakful for what you have and your family.
  carebear0811 | Sep 9, 2009 |
This book is about a donkey named Sylvester that collects pebbles, and he happens to find a magic pebble that grants wishes. He wishes for lots of things, and as long as he is touching the pebble, the wishes will be granted. He runs into a hungry lion and wishes to be a rock, which causes the pebble to fall to the ground and without him touching it; he cannot wish himself back to a donkey.

I liked this book because it related to a real-life situation of when I was a child and had the same idea that something I found was magical and would grant me wishes too. The author did a good job of illustrating the book. I thought that the pictures reinforced the text perfect, so that a child could easily follow along with what was being read and really get involved with the story.

I would let my class go outside and collect pebbles to bring in and color with a red marker, so that they too could have a red pebble like Sylvester. I would also have my class write in their journals 3 wishes that they would want granted from the pebble, to make-believe that the pebble really granted wishes. Also, I would have a class discussion and have my students reflect about a time when their mother or father couldn’t find them to relate to Sylvester’s parents from the story. The students would have the opportunity to share with the rest of the class about their incident.
  cynthiadr | Aug 29, 2009 |
This is a good example of fantasy because the main characters are a donkey family. Also, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that he can command to follow whatever he says. This turns out to be negative when he turns into a rock and his parents cannot find him for a very long time. ( )
  rhenley06 | Aug 21, 2009 |
Sylvester Duncan, a donkey, collects “pebbles of unusual shape and color,” but he never dreamed he’d discover a pebble that grants wishes.

Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/47Books/... ( )
  20XJenny | Aug 9, 2009 |
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Sylvester Duncan lived with his mother and father at Acorn Road in Oatsdale.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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File:Cm magic pebble.jpg

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Book description

Amazon.com (ISBN 0671662694, Paperback)

Imagine all the happiness and wealth you could achieve if you found a magic pebble that granted your every wish! Sylvester Duncan, an unassuming donkey who collects pebbles "of unusual shape and color," experiences just such a lucky find. But before he can make all his wishes come true, the young donkey unexpectedly encounters a mean-looking lion. Startled, Sylvester wishes he were a rock, but in mineral form he can no longer hold the pebble, and thus cannot wish himself back to his equine trappings. His parents, thinking he has disappeared, are at first frantic, then miserable, and then plunge into donkey ennui. Meanwhile, Sylvester is gravely depressed, but tries to get used to being a rock.

In 1970, William Steig won the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble--the first of his many Newbery and Caldecott honors. In this donkey's tale, Steig imbues his characteristically simple illustrations of animals sporting human garb with evocative, irresistible, and heartbreakingly vivid emotions. The text is straightforward and the dialogue remarkably touching. Children will feel deeply for Sylvester and his parents, all wishing for the impossible--that the family will one day be reunited. Sylvester's sweet story is one that endures, reminding us all that sometimes what we have is all we really need. (Ages 4 to 8)

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:03 -0400)

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