Bibliography: 

Steig, W. (1969) Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Simon& Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 1416902066

Plot Summary:

Sylvester finds a magic pebble and, on his way home, meets a lion. In a panic, he makes a wish to be a rock. Unfortunately, as a rock, he cannot hold his pebble to wish himself back, so he is stuck. His parents are worried when he doesn’t return home and the whole town tries to find him. He is able to turn back in a surprising twist of fate when his parents stop to have a picnic using his rock as a table. Everyone returns home happy.

Critical Analysis:

Mr. Stieg’s characters are lovely, personified animals living in the town of Oatsdale. There are a wide variety of animals living in this town shown through the beautifully detailed illustrations on each page. In this cautionary tale of “Be careful what you wish for!”, Mr. Steig demonstrates the consequences of an ill-advised wish and how the absence of a loved one can affect a family. Mr. Steig’s use of descriptive adjectives like frantic, helpless, hopeless, scared and worried help the reader understand how Sylvester and his parents were feeling. His use of hyperbole, ie “’I will never scold Sylvester again as long as I live,’ said Mrs. Duncan, ‘no matter what he does.’” show how desperate Sylvester’s parents are to find him.

This book would not work without the wonderful illustrations on each page. The reader can see the worry, sadness, and joy on Sylvester’s parents faces. One can see the passage of time shown by the two-page illustrations of the seasons passing and feel the hopelessness that Sylvester feels as he sleeps more and more. My favorite illustration is the one of Sylvester’s first night as a rock on Strawberry Hill, with all the stars above…even a shooting star!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the illustration of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan asking the police for assistance in finding Sylvester. The police may be offended by the depiction of their profession as pigs. I believe this caused a bit of controversy at the time it was published, as well.

Overall, this is a wonderful story with a happy ending.

Review Excerpts:

Caldecott Medal Winner 1970

New York Times Book Review – “everything he does is magic.”

Kirkus Reviews- “surely the prize predicament of the year and, in William Steig’s pearly colors, one of the prettiest.”

Connections:

*Have students predict what will happen in the book by looking at the title and illustrations.

*Teach vocabulary by having students use context clues in both the text and the illustrations.

*Other books written and illustrated by William Steig:

Steig, W. (1986). Brave Irene. Farrar Straus & Giroux. ISBN 9780374309473

Steig, W. (1976). The Amazing Bone. Farrar Straus & Giroux. ISBN 9780374302481