Book Activities: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble #BookaDayinMay

This is my first children’s book activities post in our new #BookaDayinMay Instagram Challenge (there are a few giveaways to go with it too) that I’m doing with my blogging buddies at CarrieElle.com and RockaByeParents.com.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

My first book choice is Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (the author of Shrek). Not only is this book a Caldacott Medal winner, but it’s also been banned in parts of the US. I dug out my old copy to share with the kids…it still has a $.99 Goodwill price tag on it…a total find! Sylvester is a donkey who likes to collect pebbles. One Summer day he finds a really pretty red one and he quickly figures out that this is a magic pebble. On his way home, he encounters a lion and he gets so scared that he quickly wishes he was a rock. Sylvester’s parents get very worried when he doesn’t come home that night. They look and look for him, but cannot find him. Sylvester remains a rock through each of the coming seasons. The next Spring his parents try to cheer themselves up by going on a picnic. They find a nice big rock to sit on…and next to the rock is a red pebble that they think Sylvester would have loved. And just like that…Sylvester is back!

Book Activities

1. Make Your Own Magic Pebble – When I read this book to my former First Grade class, we then made our very own magic pebbles. Have your kids go out and find a nice pebble and then paint it red. It’s a fun memento to keep of the story.

2. What Would You Wish For? – Ask you kids to talk about what they might wish for and why. They can draw a picture of their wish and write a sentence or two (or you can write it for them) to explain it.

3. Talk About the Seasons – Sylvester spends an entire year as a rock. Have the kids draw pictures of Sylvester in each of the seasons.

4. Water Bead Activity – Helen over at The Handley Home did a fun water bead activity after they read this story.