Book
Review Of:
Steig, William. 1969. SYLVESTER AND
THE MAGIC PEBBLE. Ill. by William Steig. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc.
ISBN 067166154X
The
main character in this classic story is a donkey named Sylvester. While out
walking he comes across a magical red pebble that grants wishes. Unexpectedly,
a lion comes along, making Sylvester panic and make an unfortunate wish.
Sylvester is then caught in a pickle and is separated from his parents for some
time. Will they be reunited again, or are they destined to remain lost to each
other forever? Through Sylvester’s adventures, children can understand the
underlying themes that one must be careful what they wish for and that to be
with one’s loving family is the best and only gift one truly needs.
In
SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE, William Steig has artfully crafted a delightful
story. The family is a traditional, devoted family as one can see illustrated
on the first page. The father is present, contentedly reading the newspaper,
the mother is cleaning the house, and Sylvester is studying his rock
collection. Steig’s personal style of storytelling is indicated partly by the
flow of multiple sentences on a page, which the reader follows in a steady
pace. A change of pace and (therefore) emphasis are created by the existence of
only one or two sentences on a page.
The
setting is mostly outdoors in a rural area, with some scenes of cozy homes and
buildings. The passing of time is portrayed through illustrations of the
passing seasonal weather, by the daytime, and by a night scene filled with
stars and shadows.
The
bold watercolor illustrations compliment the story skillfully, as is evident in
the sun’s rays shooting outward when the characters are happy and the contrast
between the parents’ sad expressions and the usually delightful spring weather
and picnic activity. Culture is revealed through the characters’ conservative,
American, 1960-ish attire.
Some
adult readers may take offense to the mother working around the house while the
father sits idly or to the policemen who are pigs; however, when one considers
the time period that this book is written, these things might be overlooked.
Either way, these issues are over the heads of the young age group this book
was intended for.
Professional
praise for this picture book is astounding. Steig won the Caldecott Medal for
SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE in 1970, and in describing Steig, the New York
Times Book Review claimed that “everything he does is magic” (Book Verdict).
After
sharing this story with children, I would suggest using it to practice finding
contextual clues to discover what types of feelings the various characters
exhibit and segueing into another book called: WISH: WISHING TRADITIONS AROUND
THE WORLD by Roseanne Thong.
REFERENCES
"Book Verdict: Expert Reviews
of Print & Media." Bookverdict.com., last modified April 1, 2010, accessed
September 9, 2013, http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-261698.xml.
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