Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by Nicolas Teo Zhi Yong

Family is very important, you must appreciate everyone when they are still around.

William Steig wrote the book and the book is design by Dan Potash. The main character is Sylvester Duncan, a donkey who loves to collect pebbles. The other characters are Sylvester’s mother and father who became very worried about Sylvester when he went missing and the mean looking lion who tried to eat him.

This book is a story about a donkey named Sylvester Duncan who lived with his parents in Oatsdale. Sylvester liked to collect pebbles. On a rainy day during his vacation, he found a red shining pebble that looked like a marble. While he was holding the pebble, he wished it would stop raining and it did! Everything he started to wish for came true with pebble in his hand. One afternoon, when he was crossing Strawberry Hill, he met up with a lion. Sylvester was scared and he wished he could turn himself into a rock to be safe. At the end of the story, his family finds him and he turns back into a donkey.

My favourite character is Sylvester because he is very generous and he didn’t keep the red pebble for himself. Instead he wanted to share it with everyone in his village. He is also a very kind donkey because instead of wishing for the lion to disappear, he changed himself into a rock. My least favourite character is the lion because he is scared of Sylvester and he looked mean and hungry.

I like the ending because Sylvester was able to return to his family. One day in May, Sylvester family went for a picnic to Strawberry hill. Sylvester’s dad found the magic pebble and put it on the rock. Sylvester then took this opportunity to wish himself back into a donkey. I enjoyed reading this story. It is a loving and touching story with a happy ending. I learnt that things like magic will not make me happy. It was the love, care and warmth of the family that will make me happy. It is important for a family to stay together. I will treasure my family and stay close to them.

I like the story because it has good pictures and a happy ending. Anyone who like stories about magic and animals will like this book. This book also won the famous “Caldecott Medal”
which is awarded to the best American picture book for the year. The author, William Steig, has also received many other awards for his writing.

I would recommend this book to children aged 5 to 10 years old because the pictures are well drawn and the story is simple to understand.

Gathering Books Quill Junior Contributor