Sylvester & the Magic Pebble
"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" (1970) is a children's picture book written and illustrated by William Steig. It won him the Caldecott Medal, his first of many Newbery and Caldecott honors. It tells the tale of a donkey, Sylvester, who collects pebbles "of unusual shape and color." One day he happens to come across 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. The rest of the story deals with the resulting aftermath: Sylvester's personal attempt to change back into a donkey and his parents' search for their son. The book raised controversy among several school districts and organizations for its satirical portrayal of the police as pigs, and as a result was banned in parts of the United States.
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