Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

2^nd to 4^th grade

Three stars

            Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true.  But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester scrambles and wishes he were a rock.  Now he is unable to wish himself back to normal.  His parents are worried and have no idea where Sylvester is.  In the end his parents go for a picnic at the rock that is Sylvester, not knowing it was him.  They find the pebble and set it on the rock, now Sylvester can wish himself back to normal.

            I chose this book because it was in the Caldecott section, and I kind of remember reading this when I was younger.  This book was written in 1969 and is still a very popular book.  For my first time reading this book, I didn’t really care for Sylvester turning into a rock.  It brings such a horrible turn in the book.  The parents are worried, they ask neighbors, and police for help and no one can find Sylvester.  A whole year passes before he is found and reunited with his parents.  I was very grateful this book had a happy ending. 

            This book would provide students to recognize their feelings during the reading of the book, and be a good book for readers who are getting ready to move from basic picture books.  Here is a decent website listing a wide range of activities to do with this book that are cross curricular.