Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Bibliographic Data: 

 

Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. New York: Windmill Books: Simon and Schuster, 1969.

ISBN 9780525623007

 

Plot Summary:

When Sylvester Duncan the donkey discovers an exceptional red pebble that can grant his wishes, he is eager to get home and show his parents. On the way home he encounters a lion and panics wishing himself into rock form.This is unfortunate because now he can no longer make a wish to turn back into a donkey since he have no voice as a rock and is required to be touching the magic pebble as he makes his wishes. As Sylvester sits helplessly and hopelessly as a rock, his parents franticly begin searching for him with no luck. The seasons pass with no hope for Sylvester. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan decide to take a picnic in order to cheer up. During the picnic, Mr. Duncan finds and places the pebble on Sylvester where he can now wish himself back to donkey form and the family can be together again.

Critical Analysis:

William Steig introduces the reader to a relatable figure by personifying Sylvester, the donkey. Sylvester is a character who has the ability to experience human emotions (happiness, loss, and regret) most children can comprehend and sympathize with. The plot leads Sylvester, the stone, through days, nights, and seasons of hopeless anticipation that younger readers can eagerly analyze.  The concept of a magical pebble is intriguing and the element of family stressed at the conclusion of the story leave the reader with a sense of hope, happiness and thankfulness.

Steig also illustrates the work using warm, vibrant watercolors. Each illustration corresponds with the story being told and paints (literally) the perfect picture of a humanized donkey suffering through some unpleasant experiences due to a magical pebble. Characters are realistically painted as animals and colors are true to real life. Some of the most impressive illustrations are those depicting Sylvester’s experiences through the seasons. Fall, winter and spring are portrayed using vivid, seasonal colors, for example warm oranges and gold for fall, crisp grays highlighting the white snow for winter, and beautiful blues and greens enhancing a springtime scene.

Awards:

Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner, 1970

 

Review Excerpt(s):

Children’s Literature review, 2005:
“His [Sylvester’s] 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.”

 

Kirkus review, March 1969:

“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.”

Connections:

* Bring a bag a marbles, one for each child. Pass one out to everyone so it can serve as their own magic pebble. As they hold their “pebble” ask them what they would wish for if their stone was actually magic.

* Some follow up questions to ask: What would you have done with the magic pebble in the end? Why do you think Sylvester’s parents put the pebble in the safe? Have you ever been able to relate to Sylvester as the rock and felt like you weren’t being heard? What lesson did Sylvester learn in the end?

*Some other works with magical plots:

  -Steig, William. The Amazing Bone ISBN 9780374302481

  -Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock. ISBN 9780823406890

        -Fox, Mem; Tusa, Tricia, The Magic Hat. ISBN 9780152057152