Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a 1969 children's picture book by William Steig.
Sylvester, a donkey who likes collecting pebbles, finds a magic pebble one day that grants any wish he makes. 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.
Tropes in this book:
- 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. 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.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Sylvester's hasty wish to become a rock to avoid being eaten by a lion. 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.
- "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.
- Dramatic Irony: Sylvester's parents talk about him and how they strangely feel like he may not be that far away from them after all while they're sitting on a rock that they're unaware is Sylvester himself.
- Mundane Wish: After Sylvester confirms that the pebble really does grant wishes and excitedly talks about how he can make all his family and friends' wishes come true, his first real wish is... to get rid of a wart on his left hind forelock.
- Objectshifting: The eponymous character ends up turning himself into a rock to protect himself from a lion. The rest of the story deals with his efforts to turn himself back into a donkey.
- Rain, Rain, Go Away: Sylvester discovers the pebble's magical properties when he wishes for the rain to stop while holding it and it immediately ceases.
- Tears of Joy: Sylvester has these when he's finally restored to his donkey form and reunited with his parents.
