Wonderfully brought to life by Jon Lithgow's narration.
One rainy day, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that brings unexpected results. How Sylvester is eventually reunited with his loving family and restored to his own donkey self makes a story that is beautifully tender and perfectly joyful.Download and start listening now!
"When I was in library school (back in the Middle Ages) this book was controversial. Why? Because when Sylvester's parents go to the police to report him missing, the police are pigs. This is the danger of adults putting their interpretation on a sweet children's story. Maybe William Steig was making a political statement; I don't know.I don't care. I love the story...be careful what you wish for! Oh and I also don't care if Puff the Magic Dragon is about marijuana or not. I love Puff and I still get misty eyed when Jackie Paper grows up and doesn't return...as do most other parents."
— Denise (5 out of 5 stars)
“Sylvester’s sweet story is one that endures, reminding us all that sometimes what we have is all we really need.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review" 1970 Caldecott Winner. When I first read this book I remember thinking that I will never collect pebbles. "
— Ronna, 2/12/2014" Alis rates 4 stars Eliza only 3. "
— Carol, 2/8/2014" Pre-K, narrative skills, vocabulary, families. "
— Lucy, 1/28/2014" Fables... a great way of scaring children into doing the right thing. Unless, of course, they are highly skeptical. The illustrations in this book make this one of my favorite kids' books. "
— Pamela, 1/28/2014" One of the simplest and most beautiful books for children. A classic. "
— Michele, 1/25/2014" Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a wonderful story that incorporates animal personification and magic with real emotions and family values. This book managed to reel me in as the reader and feel sympathy for Sylvester as a helpless rock and for his parents who thought that their child was lost forever. The illustrations are simplistic with little detail, but are colorful and really bring the words to life. "
— Erica, 1/1/2014" Clever! The kids love this one and it makes for a good read-aloud. "
— Nicole, 12/24/2013" An excellent story of family love. It is amazing that one personified image could pull a book with such a nice message from the shelves. "
— Jennine, 12/3/2013" This book is good for children to experience a variety of emotions. Not all books have to have happy images and plots. However, it does have a happy ending! "
— Brittany, 12/3/2013" Wow, this book was trippy. I dig it. "
— Selwa, 11/15/2013" Creative storyline that makes children think. Good for teaching story elements. "
— Christina, 11/3/2013William Steig (1907–2003) published his first children’s book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968 and received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble in 1970. His works also include The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book, as well as Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. His book Shrek! was released by DreamWorks as a feature film and was immensely popular.
Rex Robbins (1935–2003) was an American character actor of stage and screen.