Sylvester is a donkey with the odd hobby, for a donkey anyway, of "collecting pebbles of unusual shape and color."  This pastime gets him in trouble one day when he finds a magic red pebble that grants wishes :

    'What a lucky day this is!' thought Sylvester. Ý'From now on I can have anything I want.'

Sadly, a lion comes along and Sylvester unthinkingly says : "I wish I were a rock."

His wish is granted, but he is no longer able to grasp the pebble and so can not wish himself back to donkeyhood.  His parents search desperately for him, until one day they actually picnic upon the boulder he has become.  Happily, they pick up the pebble and order is restored.  And, despite the awesome power of the pebble they lock it away in a safe :

    Some day they might want to use it, but really, for now, what more could they wish for? ÝThey had all that they wanted.

The story is that simple and the drawings too are pretty basic, though charming.  The real beauty of the tale lies in the timeless message that it is not "things" that will make us happy, but the comforts of family and home.

In his Caldecott Award acceptance speech, William Steig revealed his debt to an earlier classic :

    It is very likely that Sylvester became a rock and then again a live donkey because I had once been so deeply impressed with Pinocchio's
    longing to have his spirit encased in flesh instead of in wood.

It is altogether fitting that Steig's story has become a classic in its own right.

(Reviewed:12-Jan-02)

Grade: (A) Orrin C. Judd

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