'Could Have Avoided This!' Plot: The narration points out that Sylvester could have dealt with the lion in a much better way by simply wishing for it to disappear or wishing himself back home but was too panicked to think clearly.It succeeds in protecting him from the lion, but it makes him unable to pick up the pebble to wish himself back to a donkey. Be Careful What You Wish For: Sylvester's hasty wish to become a rock to avoid being eaten by a lion.It's implied that if his parents hadn't found him, he would have decided to sleep forever and basically give up his human (or rather 'donkey') consciousness entirely. And I Must Scream: Sylvester can't move or talk as a rock, which means that he can't use the pebble to wish himself back to normal form.He's overjoyed by his discovery but before he can get back home to show it to his parents, he encounters a hungry lion and is spooked into making a careless wish that has serious consequences for him. Sylvester, a donkey who likes collecting pebbles, finds a magic pebble one day that grants any wish he makes. Hair Love, the Oscar-nominated short by Matthew A.Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a 1969 children's picture book by William Steig.Plus, watch more videos about books and family: Previously from Storyline Online: Please Please the Bees read by Rashida Jones. They provide a teacher’s activity guide (pdf), as well. This Sylvester and the Magic Pebble read-aloud video was created by Storyline Online, an award-winning children’s literacy program from The SAG-AFTRA Foundation. How Sylvester is eventually reunited with his loving family and restored to his true self makes a story that is beautifully tender and filled with magic. But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that brings unexpected results.

On a rainy day, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. Actor Reid Scott reads the story as the classic illustrations come alive with simple animations.

Listen to the Caldecott Medal-winning picture book Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, written and illustrated by the great William Steig.

The magic pebble book