Sylvester and the Magic Pebble [SEP] illustrator
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is an award-winning children's picture book written and illustrated by William Steig, and published in 1969.
Plot.
Sylvester, a donkey from the fictional community of Oatsdale, collects pebbles "of unusual shape and color." One day he finds a pebble that grants wishes. Immediately afterward, a lion scares Sylvester, and as a defense he wishes himself into a rock — the only thing he could think of at the moment. Unfortunately, the
magic pebble falls off the rock, and Sylvester is unable to revert to his donkey form as the pebble must be in contact with the wish-maker to work. The rest of the story deals with the resulting aftermath: Sylvester's personal attempt to change back into his true self and his parents' search for their only son.
Awards.
"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" earned Steig the 1970 Caldecott Medal, his first of many Caldecott and Newbery Medal honors. The book was nominated for the 1970 National