Rating: 
Summary: Be careful what you ask for.
Review: We all dream about the perfect life and the way it could be 'if only....' How do we know what will make our life better or worse? Now this is a puzzle that could a class a whole week to solve.
Rating: 
Summary: A donkey with depression...not my cup of tea.
Review: While I usually love whimsical, fantastic, and even some scary children's tales, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble sends out a message that is far too hopeless for my taste.
After Sylvester turns himself into a rock, accidentally throwing away his magic three wishes and dooming his future, he futilly attempts to change himself back or at least get the attention of someone to let them know what has happened. Instead, he witnesses his frantic and then, grieving parents, as well as the ever-changing seasons, and he learns he is totally helpless to change his destiny. He sinks deeper and deeper into depression, sleeping longer and longer each day until he hardly is awake at all.
When his parents finally free him and they are cheerfully reunited, the reader is reminded how little control Sylvester ever has over his life. In the meantime, they are also forced to watch him face gradual loss of hope, increased periods of sleeping, and finally, unmistakable depression. Sylvester's redemption comes only by chance, and it is this point that children I have read this with most often respond to.
This is a depressing book with a subject matter way too hopeless for children.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic for all Ages
Review: William Steig's Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is one of the greatest picture books yet written. Steig is really the master of the genre. The story is of Sylvester, who is accidentally turned into a rock by a magic pebble. This horrid situation causes Sylvester and his family to realize the true love they have shared and tosses them into total boredom with life. They have to find a way to get back to one another. The book is so moving. The pictures are beautiful as is the prose. The story teaches the joy of love that families should share. It can also be read on an even deeper level as a metaphor for death and the redemptive power of love. Overall, this is an entertaining and brilliant book which can pack an enormous punch within its few pages.
Rating:
Summary: A great story about magic, life's fulfillment, and family
Review: Wouldn't it be great to find a magic pebble that would make all your wishes come true? Well for Sylvester the donkey, it would be great to find such a pebble. Sylvester found an extraordinary, red, shiny marble and he made a wish with it. The wish came true so he made another wish and that, too, came true. When Sylvester runs into a mean lion, he makes a wish that will change his life. Now how is Sylvester going to get his life back to normal and be reunited with his parents? This story is great for children. It can be used to discuss the importance of being happy with what we are given in our lives and the importance of a loving family. The story reveals that we do not need a magic pebble to have a happy and fulfilling life. This is a very powerful message that all children should be taught.
Rating:
Summary: Kind, Warm and Well-written
Review: You see my title. That says pretty much what I think, except that it is drawn well too. Very cool pictures. Sylvester gets a reality check when he turns to stone, after he picks the magic pebble. He gains an unusual opportunity to hear how his parents miss him, and how they think of him often. Sylvester is like any child, and his parents are like many parents. Children need to know they are loved, and parents need to tell them. This book is a lesson for both the child and parent. I full recommend it on every merit. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars Isn't Enough!
Review: Your children are sure to love this story of the loveable Sylvester, who stumbles upon a stone that has magical powers to grant the wish of its holder. But this gets Sylvester into trouble, and through the rest of the story, readers will root for Sylvester's "problem" to end. Exceptional illustrations and a very captivating story will have both children and parents enthralled.
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