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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (Stories to Go!) (Paperback) (Paperback)
by William Steig
| Category:
Children's book, Award-winning, Story, Magic |
| Market price: ¥ 78.00
MSL price:
¥ 68.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
In a moment of fright, Sylvester the donkey asks his magic pebble to turn him into a rock but then can not hold the pebble to wish himself back to normal again. |
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Author: William Steig
Publisher: Aladdin
Pub. in: May, 2006
ISBN: 1416918574
Pages: 32
Measurements: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.2 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00436
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-1416918578
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- Awards & Credential -
The winner of the Caldecott Medal in 1970. |
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- MSL Picks -
Sylvester is a donkey with the odd hobby, for a donkey anyway, of "collecting pebbles of unusual shape and color." This pastime gets him in
trouble one day when he finds a magic red pebble that grants wishes :
'What a lucky day this is!' thought Sylvester. 'From now on I can have anything I want.'
Sadly, a lion comes along and Sylvester unthinkingly says : "I wish I were a rock."
His wish is granted, but he is no longer able to grasp the pebble and so can not wish himself back to donkeyhood. His parents search
desperately for him, until one day they actually picnic upon the boulder he has become. Happily, they pick up the pebble and order is
restored. And, despite the awesome power of the pebble they lock it away in a safe :
Some day they might want to use it, but really, for now, what more could they wish for? They had all that they wanted.
The story is that simple and the drawings too are pretty basic, though charming. The real beauty of the tale lies in the simple message that it
is not "things" that will make us happy, but the comforts of family and home.
In his Caldecott Award acceptance speech, William Steig revealed his debt to an earlier classic :
It is very likely that Sylvester became a rock and then again a live donkey because I had once been so deeply impressed with Pinocchio's
longing to have his spirit encased in flesh instead of in wood.
It is altogether fitting that Steig's story has become a classic in its own right.
Target readers:
Kids aged 4-8.
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William Steig's work has been widely acclaimed. His cartoons in such magazines as the New Yorker and his books of symbolic drawings have inspired cartoonists and artists everywhere, and his books for children are loved by readers both young and old.
Born in New York City into a family of artists, Mr. Steig now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. -This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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STORIES TO GO!
Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble and unthinkingly wishes himself turned into a rock when he's frightened by a lion. How Sylvester is eventually reunited with his loving parents is a tender, magical tale of the transforming power of love. This Caldecott Medal-winning book is a modern classic beloved by children everywhere.
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| View all 6 comments |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-28 00:00>
One day, Sylvester Duncan, an endearing young burro whose hobby is collecting unusual pebbles, happens upon a truly extraordinary one. Not only is it particularly beautiful, but as Sylvester is soon to discover, it possesses powerful magical properties.
Sylvester's intentions are good and he plans to make use of the power of the pebble to help others. Nevertheless, the use of magic quickly becomes tragic, and Sylvester finds himself in a desperate situation from which escape seems all but impossible.
Reading this book to my daughters, I found myself on an emotional roller coaster ride, as the little donkey is extricated from his plight just as all hope is lost.
This is an excellent book, beautifully illustrated, and clearly deserving of the Caldecott Medal which it won in 1970.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-28 00:00>
Someone wrote that this book is too depressing. I beg to differ.
I'm not a professional child psychologist, but looking back on my own experience, and how much I loved this book as a child, I think children have very powerful feelings all the time, including longing and sadness. It's comforting to see those feelings described and reflected outside yourself. If adults act like the whole world is happy-happy all the time, it can feel very lonely and isolating when you have other feelings. I would venture to guess that empathizing with characters in stories helps children develop a sense of connection between their own feelings and other people's feelings. This connection makes us feel less lonely and also allows us to be genuinely caring toward others.
I can still see, in my mind's eye, the picture of Sylvester the Rock under a blanket of snow, and feel the almost unbearable empathy that I felt for him when I read this book as a child. But it was a good feeling to feel such profound emotions. It was not unpleasant--it was very real, alive, and human--it made me feel connected with the world. And it was a safe place to feel these emotions, because I knew how the story ended, I knew everything would be okay.
I loved this book very much. I wonder if I still have it...
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E. R. Bird (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-28 00:00>
A worrisome tale wrought with sorrow and, ultimately, joy. But, just the same, a worrisome tale. In this classic Steig work, a young donkey comes across a magic pebble. The pebble is round and smooth and a brilliant red. Entranced by it, Sylvester finds that he can wish for whatsoever he chooses and instantly receive it. Overjoyed he turns for home, but finds himself confronting a hungry lion. In his haste and fear, Sylvester accidentally wishes he were a rock. Unfortunately, this wish works but leaves Sylvester trapped in his new rocky form. And when his parents look for him high and low and cannot find him, Sylvester is believed to be forever lost. But as I said, all turns out well in the end.
This story is somewhat heart-wrenching to parents. Certainly the kids that read it will understand how sad Sylvester would be to potentially never return home again. And parents reading this will be overwhelmed with the emotions involved with the loss of a child. Perhaps this story won the 1970 Caldecott medal because it does go so far as to directly touch on this most sensitive of topics. At the same time, this may be a kids book but it's too much for me. Silly, isn't it? I can zip through William Styron's "Sophie's Choice" and have a grand old time, but "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" reduces me to a pile of wobbling jello. Enjoy with caveats galore.
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Maximillian Hanan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-28 00:00>
"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" is a charming children's story about a donkey family, the Duncans, and their son Sylvester who has an insatiable urge to collect pebbles of unusual shape and color. Life is just fine for the Duncans until Sylvester finds a magic pebble that grants wishes. Sylvester gets very excited after finding out by trial and error in a very childlike way that his latest pebble grants wishes. He rushes home to tell his parents and bumps into a lion on the way home. Being a young donkey, he has no idea how to wish himself out of danger with the lion so he wishes to...
One of the story's biggest surprises is that Sylvester's big wish to save himself from the lion is very to predict. I certainly, as an adult, would never have guessed what Sylvester wished for to save himself from the lion.
I picked up a very inexpensive soft cover edition of this book as a gift for the little boy I home-school. He has severe seizures that doctors haven't figured out how to control yet with medication. As a result he can't attend school and must be home-schooled until they find medications that can control his seizures. In addition, he is a Ukrainian immigrant who has been here less than a year so he is an LEP (Limited English Proficiency) student. I relate this information because it does relate to my book review since he was the child I purchased the book.
Being that my student relies upon me, his home-school teacher, for his entire link to schooling, education, and English training, I needed a book that:
1. Was well illustrated to keep a child's interest who didn't understand many of the words.
2. Had a touching story that made both of us thoughtful (and could cheer him up as well).
3. Had appropriate language for a child still in the developing stages of learning English.
4. Could somehow be relevant to the life of a child stuck at home with illness.
"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" was everything I asked for. The Duncans are a loving donkey family in the story and their love for another comes through in both the writing and illustrations. Both my student and I enjoyed the story and we're still reading it until my student will be able to read it on his own (He's getting closer too!).
I don't want to give away the story, but Sylvester wishes himself into a rock to escape the lion. Unfortunately as a rock, Sylvester couldn't make more wishes with the rock to return to being a donkey boy. The rest of the story relates how Sylvester felt as a rock, how his parents missed him and searched for him, and how Sylvester eventually returns to being a donkey boy again. My student related Sylvester being a rock to being stuck at home with seizures. The language, while at an intermediate to advanced level of English fluency, was appropriate with a little scaffolding (a fancy education term that means preparing the student with vocabulary and new concepts). Both my student and I loved "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble."
I highly recommend "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" to parents and children. It's a charming story that's innovative and distinctive from others.
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