Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Steig, William. 1969. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 1416902066

PLOT SUMMARY

Sylvester Duncan is a donkey who collects unusual pebbles that lives in the countryside with his mother and father.  One rainy day, he finds a red pebble that is so round and perfectly shiny, it is like a marble.  He quickly realizes that his new pebble is magical.  On his way home, he encounters a lion on his journey which terrifies him.  The only thing he can think to do is wish that he would turn into a rock so that they lion doesn't notice him.  As a rock, Sylvester is unable to use the powers of the red pebble that lay right beside him.  Mr. and Mrs. Duncan become worried and upset when Sylvester doesn't return home and they set out to find out where he could be.  Months go by, seasons change, and the Duncans have given up hope of finding their son.  Trying to bring some cheer to Mrs. Duncan, Mr. Duncan suggests they have a picnic on Strawberry Hill, and they unknowingly set up their food on top of Sylvester.  Mr. Duncan sees the pebble by the rock and instantly thinks how much Sylvester would love it.  He places it on top of the rock that they are using as a table for their picnic.  Sylvester wishes that he was himself again so he could be with his parents, and the magic of the rock works just the way it should. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Steig takes us on a charming, and sometimes heart wrenching adventure full of fantasy in Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.  Personification is used by giving all the animals in the book human characteristics.  Though the carefully chosen, rich vocabulary in this story, the reader is able to feel every emotion that Sylvester and the Duncans go through, helping to form a connection with the characters.  Children of all ages can relate to the excitement that finding a magic rock might bring, and the extreme sadness that being away from your family and all alone would feel like.  The clear theme of being happy with what you have comes through strong at the end of the story when Sylvester is reunited with his family.  

Steig's use of imagery allows the reader to create vivid mental images that are complimented by the beautiful watercolor artwork included in the book.  The facial expressions and body language that Seig includes in the illustrations of the animal characters compliment the text perfectly to portray the wide range of emotions in this story.  As the seasons change, the illustrations very accurately depict the scenery during the passage of time.  The picture on the last page of the family lovingly embracing each other on the couch helps the young reader to understand that having the family together again is the best wish of all.  

AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS

Awards: Caldecott Medal 1970

Review Excerpts: 

"This tale of a donkey who wishes on a magic pebble has charmed a generation of readers and will no doubt go on to attract a new one."  Publishers Weekly (November 21, 2005)

CONNECTIONS

-Have students find cause and effect relationships within the story 

-Talk about the word choice Steig uses and encourage students to use descriptive writing in their stories.

-Use the descriptions and illustrations to talk about the different characteristics of the seasons

-Infer feelings and emotions of characters from illustrations and text descriptions


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