Assignment.2- Dixon Hord

The book Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig is a "good book" for children's literature. In the story Sylvester (a donkey) collects rocks and one day was out and found a red pebble. It was raining and he wished that it would stop raining and it did. One day he ran into a lion and wished he was a rock so that the lion couldn't get him. However, he didn't realize he couldn't turn back into a donkey. One day his parents went on a picnic and found the stone Sylvester had turned into. They picked it up because the knew that Sylvester would like it. They put the pebble on top of him and he wished he was a donkey again and he turned back into a donkey. The book fits many of the qualities to be a "good" children's book. It helps to show the parent's perspective of what it is like to lose someone important. There is a moral to the story,but children can figure it out without stating it. It tells the truth when it shows to be careful what you wish for. It embodies good quality because it provides good imagery by having Sylvester live on acorn road in oatsdale. Also, he turned into a rock on strawberry hill. The fable has integrity because the illustrations help the story to come to life for the children. As the story goes on the parents become sadder and sadder because they can't find Sylvester. At the end they have a happy picture after he has turned back into a donkey. He won a Caldecott Medal for the illustrations in the book. It shows a unique and believable set of characters which helps with originality.