Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

 --> --> Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Steig, W. (1969). Sylvester and the magic pebble. New York: Windmill Books, Inc.

Age Level: 4-8

Genre: Fantasy

Summary: Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true.  When frightened by a lion, Sylvester makes a wish that will change his life.  This book is about the feelings of Sylvester and his parents from the time he makes a wish until they are reunited.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble received The Caldecott Medal in 1970.

Reflection:  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, by William Steig, is a timeless classic that epitomizes the definition of picture books.  In our textbook Essentials of Children's Literature, by Lynch-Brown, Tomlinson, and Short, they state that children's first experiences with books have to be positive so they will want to continue to read and be involved with books.  This book holds the attention of the children and is suggested for ages 4-8.

I took the opportunity this class has given me to read this book to my own son, age six.  At first he was apprehensive about enjoying the book, but soon we were both hooked.  The illustrations Steig uses throughout the book show the emotions on each page.  As our textbook explains, this is a picture storybook. "The text of most picture storybooks is meant to be read aloud to the intended audience of 4- to 7-year-olds, at least for the first time or two, and often includes challenging vocabulary" (pg. 98).

      
As you can see, Steig not only includes challenging words throughout the book, but illustrates them as well.  The word "inquiring" is used in a sentence and the illustrations show the Duncan's inquiring or asking different neighbors where Sylvester is or if they knew his whereabouts.  It also shows the word "dawn" in the illustration. The sun is low in the sky and the clouds represent dawn as well.

After reading our textbook, I began to notice the artistic style and learned that Sylvester and the Magic Pebble represents watercolors with the visual element of composition.  I came to the conclusion that composition is the visual element by the expressions of the characters illustrated in the book.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a book that children of all ages can enjoy...adults too!  It is a story about magic, love, and hope.  It is a timeless classic that, along with its illustrations, will make everyone want to read it again.  And think twice when they see a small, shiny, red pebble!