Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Addresses one of childhood's biggest latent fears, abandonment.

Author: William Steig Illustrator: William Steig Pages: 32 Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR Published Date: 01/01/2000 Genre: Fiction - For Beginning Readers PB Price: $6.99 Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: Ages 4-8 Read Aloud: 4+ Read Alone: 6+ Awards: Caldecott Medal

Common Sense Note

Steig's drawings capture the animals' emotions perfectly, as Sylvester learns that a simple wish can sometimes backfire, but love can overcome all.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Kevin McCaffrey

Once again, William Steig addresses one of childhood's biggest latent fears, abandonment. But his gentle, unerring handling of this issue makes for an endearing story full of pathos and strength. Steig's belief in the magic (mysteries) of life is central to this story, both in creating the anxious situation and relieving it.

And it is the role of the child to make the mistake, the father, to keep up the spirit, and the mother, to keep the faith and not give up hope. Together, with magic and experience, they all learn the happiness and richness of being together.

Steig won the Caldecott Medal for children's-book illustration for this book, and while it's a good choice to recognize within Steig's body of work, with its attention to detail and bright colors, it is no more stunning than many other children's books. It is Steig's deserving style and sensitive attention to faces in all his work that was probably given tribute then.

As a package, this book offers the same classic satisfaction of most of Steig's works. So much feeling and nuance stuffed into the simple story and pictures of this little book will make children appreciate the power of books and convince their parents that books should be collected and read over and over.

Steig's many other excellent books include Tiffky Doofky, Made for Each Other, and Abel's Island.

From The Book

Mr. Duncan walked aimlessly about while Mrs. Duncan set out the picnic food on the rock--alfalfa sandwiches, pickled oats, sassafras salad, timothy compote. Suddenly Mr. Duncan saw the red pebble. "What a fantastic pebble!" he exclaimed. "Sylvester would have loved it for his collection." He put the pebble on the rock.

Plot Summary:

Sylvester must have had rocks in his head when he panics at the advance of a lion, and to escape turns himself into--a rock! Unrecognizable to Mom, Dad, and everyone, is he doomed to be a rock forever? Is it luck, or fate, that brings them to picnic on that one particular rock, where everyone obtains what he or she has been wishing for?

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