Sylvester and the Magic Pebble [Hardcover]

William Steig (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 25, 2005 | Age Range: 4 and up | Lexile Measure: 700L (What's this?)

One rainy day, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that brings unexpected results. How Sylvester is eventually reunited with his loving family and restored to his own donkey self makes a story that is beautifully tender and perfectly joyful.

Illustrated with William Steig's glowing pictures, this winner of the 1970 Caldecott Medal is a modern classic beloved by children everywhere. Now reissued to celebrate the discovery of the original artwork, this deluxe edition contains painstakingly careful color corrections made from those watercolor originals -- the color you'll see within this book is as Mr. Steig had originally intended it to be. It also features his moving Caldecott Medal acceptance speech.

The New York Times Book Review wrote of Mr. Steig that "everything he does is magic." This deluxe edition of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble truly recaptures that magic for a whole new generation of readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

On a rainy day, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that brings unexpected results. How Sylvester is eventually reunited with his loving family and restored to his true self makes a story that is beautifully tender and filled with true magic. Illustrated with William Steig's glowing pictures, this is a modern classic beloved by children everywhere. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a winner of the Caldecott Medal.END --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 42 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416902066
• ISBN-13: 978-1416902065
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Farm Animals

More About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, and received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (978-1416902065) in 1970. His works also include The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. His most recent books published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux are Shrek! (released by DreamWorks as a major motion picture) and Wizzil, illustrated by Quentin Blake. School Library Journal named Shrek! a Best Book of 1990 and said of it, "Steig's inimitable wit and artistic dash have never been sharper or more expertly blended."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this as a kid October 2, 2004

By Virginia Coklow

Format:Paperback

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...

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic, Unintended Consequences, and When All Seems Lost, a Happy Ending December 10, 2005

By Andrew Schonbek TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

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.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best children's books! August 13, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Our children, ages 2 and 5, have been obsessed with this book. We have enjoyed it thoroughly, too. Mr. Steig's writing captures the internal experiences and emotions of the characters in a way that few books for children do. The writing encourages children to consider what it would be like to be trapped, lost, or separated from their parents, and the joy of reunion.

It also has some of the greatest lines in literature: "The warmth of his own mother sitting on him woke Sylvester up from his deep winter sleep." How can you beat that?

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If Wishes Were Things, Where Would We Be? April 24, 2001

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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! Read more ›

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story about magic, life's fulfillment, and family July 13, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Wouldn't it be great to find a magic pebble that would make all your wishes come true? Well for Sylvester the donkey, it would be great to find such a pebble. Sylvester found an extraordinary, red, shiny marble and he made a wish with it. The wish came true so he made another wish and that, too, came true. When Sylvester runs into a mean lion, he makes a wish that will change his life. Now how is Sylvester going to get his life back to normal and be reunited with his parents? This story is great for children. It can be used to discuss the importance of being happy with what we are given in our lives and the importance of a loving family. The story reveals that we do not need a magic pebble to have a happy and fulfilling life. This is a very powerful message that all children should be taught.