Hello, friends! I’m Reid Scott, and today I’m going to share a wonderful story with you. It’s called Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, written and illustrated by William Steig. Let’s dive into this magical adventure!
Once upon a time, there was a young donkey named Sylvester Duncan. He lived with his parents on Acorn Road in a place called Oatsdale. Sylvester loved collecting pebbles that were different and special. One rainy day, he found a very special pebble. It was bright red, shiny, and perfectly round, just like a marble!
As Sylvester held the pebble, he wished the rain would stop. To his surprise, the rain stopped right away! Sylvester realized that this pebble was magical. When he held it and made a wish, it came true!
Sylvester was so excited! He thought about all the wonderful things he could wish for. He wished for sunshine, and it happened. He even wished for a wart on his leg to disappear, and it did! Sylvester couldn’t wait to show his parents the magic pebble.
On his way home, Sylvester saw a hungry lion hiding in the grass. He got scared and, without thinking, wished to be a rock. Suddenly, he turned into a rock! The lion sniffed around and left, but Sylvester was stuck as a rock with the magic pebble right beside him.
Sylvester’s parents were very worried when he didn’t come home. They searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. Sylvester, as a rock, wished he could be himself again, but nothing happened. He needed someone to find the pebble and wish for him to be a donkey again.
One day, Sylvester’s parents went on a picnic to Strawberry Hill. Mrs. Duncan sat on the rock that was Sylvester, and her warmth woke him up. Mr. Duncan found the red pebble and placed it on the rock. Sylvester wished to be himself again, and just like that, he was back!
Everyone was so happy! They hugged and kissed Sylvester, and they were all together again. They decided to keep the magic pebble safe for another day, but for now, they had everything they needed.
I love this story because it reminds me of my grandmother reading it to my little sister. Books have always been special to me, and I hope you enjoyed this magical tale too!
Thank you for joining me on Storyline Online. Keep reading and exploring more stories!
Magic Pebble Hunt: Go on a pebble hunt in your backyard or a nearby park. Look for pebbles that are unique in color, shape, or size, just like Sylvester did. Once you’ve found your special pebble, imagine it has magical powers. What would you wish for? Share your wishes with a friend or family member and discuss why you chose them.
Wish Journal: Create a “Wish Journal” where you can draw or write about three wishes you would make if you had a magic pebble. Think about how these wishes could change your day or help others. Discuss with your class or family how some wishes might have unexpected results, just like Sylvester’s wish to become a rock.
Role-Playing Adventure: With a friend or family member, act out a scene from the story. One person can be Sylvester, and the other can be the lion or Sylvester’s parents. Use props like a red pebble or a blanket to represent the rock. Talk about how Sylvester felt during different parts of the story and how his feelings changed when he was reunited with his parents.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi everyone! I’m Reid Scott, and welcome to Storyline Online presented by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Today, I’m excited to read one of my favorite books: *Sylvester and the Magic Pebble*, written and illustrated by William Steig.
Sylvester Duncan lived with his parents on Acorn Road in Oatsdale. One of his hobbies was collecting pebbles of unusual shapes and colors. One rainy Saturday during vacation, he found a truly extraordinary pebble. It was flaming red, shiny, and perfectly round, like a marble. As he studied this remarkable pebble, he began to shiver, probably from excitement, and the rain felt cold on his back. “I wish it would stop raining,” he said. To his great surprise, the rain stopped instantly. The drops vanished, the clouds disappeared, everything was dry, and the sun was shining as if rain had never existed.
In all his young life, Sylvester had never had a wish granted so quickly. He realized that magic must be at work, and he guessed that the magic was in the remarkable-looking red pebble. To test it, he placed the pebble on the ground and said, “I wish it would rain again.” Nothing happened. But when he held the pebble in his hoof and made the same wish, the sky turned black, there was lightning and thunder, and the rain came pouring down.
“What a lucky day this is!” thought Sylvester. “From now on, I can have anything I want! My parents can have anything they want! My friends and anyone at all can have everything they desire!” He wished for sunshine and for a wart on his left hind fetlock to disappear, and it did. He started home, eager to amaze his parents with his magic pebble.
As he crossed Strawberry Hill, thinking of all the things he could wish for, he was startled to see a hungry lion looking at him from behind some tall grass. He was frightened. If he hadn’t been so scared, he could have made the lion disappear or wished himself safe at home. Instead, he panicked and said, “I wish I were a rock,” and he became a rock.
The lion came over, sniffed the rock, walked around it, and then went away confused. Sylvester, now a rock on Strawberry Hill, had the magic pebble lying beside him but couldn’t pick it up. “Oh, how I wish I were myself again,” he thought, but nothing happened. He realized that his only chance of becoming himself again was for someone to find the red pebble and wish for the rock next to it to be a donkey.
Sylvester fell asleep, and night came with many stars. Meanwhile, his parents were frantic with worry. Sylvester had never come home later than dinner time. They searched for him, but no one had seen him. The police couldn’t find him, and all the animals in Oatsdale searched for him but found no trace. After a month of searching, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan concluded that something dreadful must have happened and that they might never see their son again.
They tried to be happy, but life felt meaningless without Sylvester. Night followed day, and Sylvester, as a rock, woke up less and less often. He felt he would be a rock forever and tried to get used to it. Eventually, he fell into a deep sleep. The seasons changed, and one day in May, Mr. Duncan insisted that his wife go on a picnic to Strawberry Hill.
Mrs. Duncan sat down on the rock, and the warmth of her presence woke Sylvester from his deep sleep. He wanted to shout, “Mother! Father! It’s me, Sylvester!” but he couldn’t. Mr. Duncan noticed the red pebble and exclaimed how fantastic it was. He placed it on the rock, and as they sat down to eat, Sylvester was wide awake.
Mrs. Duncan felt a mysterious excitement and expressed her belief that Sylvester was still alive. Mr. Duncan looked sadly at the ground. “I wish I were myself again!” thought Sylvester, and in an instant, he was!
You can imagine the joyful reunion that followed—embraces, kisses, questions, and loving looks! Once they calmed down, Mr. Duncan put the magic pebble in an iron safe, thinking they might want to use it someday, but for now, they had everything they wished for.
I love this book because it reminds me of my grandmother reading it to my little sister. She was a huge influence on me, an English professor with an incredible library. I spent my summers with her, and on rainy days, I would explore her library, making books my friends at a young age. This book holds a special place in my heart because of the joy it brought to my sister and me.
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This version maintains the essence of the story while removing any unnecessary details.
