Steig, William Books

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Imagine all the happiness and wealth you could achieve if you found a magic pebble that granted your every wish! Sylvester Duncan, an unassuming donkey who collects pebbles "of unusual shape and color," experiences just such a lucky find. But before he can make all his wishes come true, the young donkey unexpectedly encounters a mean-looking lion. Startled, Sylvester wishes he were a rock, but in mineral form he can no longer hold the pebble, and thus cannot wish himself back to his equine trappings. His parents, thinking he has disappeared, are at first frantic, then miserable, and then plunge into donkey ennui. Meanwhile, Sylvester is gravely depressed, but tries to get used to being a rock.

In 1970, William Steig won the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble--the first of his many Newbery and Caldecott honors. In this donkey's tale, Steig imbues his characteristically simple illustrations of animals sporting human garb with evocative, irresistible, and heartbreakingly vivid emotions. The text is straightforward and the dialogue remarkably touching. Children will feel deeply for Sylvester and his parents, all wishing for the impossible--that the family will one day be reunited. Sylvester's sweet story is one that endures, reminding us all that sometimes what we have is all we really need. (Ages 4 to 8)

Doctor De Soto (A Sunburst Book)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Doctor De Soto is a well-respected mouse-dentist who runs a successful practice with his wife (and able assistant) Mrs. De Soto. The De Sotos are friendly and professional toward all their patients, from chipmunks to donkeys to cows, the exception being "cats and other dangerous animals," as stated clearly on the sign outside the office. But the De Sotos are tender-hearted rodents, so when a miserable fox shows up begging for treatment, they agree to have a look (perhaps against their better judgment). As it turns out, this fox, with "a rotten bicuspid and unusually bad breath," manages to behave himself while tiny Doctor De Soto is standing mid-molar inside his gaping jaws. When the wily fox returns the next day to get his replacement gold tooth, however, he has mouse-flavored snacks on his mind. Luckily, Doctor De Soto and his wife have anticipated such despicable canine intentions, and find a way to outfox the ungrateful fox.

William Steig, award-winning creator of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, once again offers young readers a clever, amusing tale of interspecies mingling. As usual, Steig's tone is matter-of-fact, and his enchanting illustrations of the responsible mouse couple and their foxy adversary are alive with expression and emotion. Kids will appreciate the De Sotos' wit, and will be delighted to read more about this diminutive couple's adventures in Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa. (Ages 4 to 8)

Abel's Island (Newbery Award & Honor Books)

William Steig

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs & Squirrels -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One summer day, newlywed mice Abel and Amanda are out for a picnic in the woods when they are caught in a sudden storm--a "full-fledged, screaming hurricane" to be precise. As they take refuge in a cave, a wind scoops up Amanda's scarf, and Abel foolishly lunges from safety to retrieve it. So begins William Steig's Newbery Honor Book Abel's Island, the ensuing adventures of this rather foppish mouse as he comes head to head with nature. Amazingly, Abel is swept up in a stream, then a river, then eventually marooned on an island (about 12,000 tails long). He is sure that his rescue is imminent: "It's certainly gotten around that Abelard Hassam di Chirico Flint, of the Mossville Flints, is missing," the society mouse speculates. But he is not so lucky. What will this intelligent, imaginative rodent do to get off the island and back to his beloved Amanda? He busies himself with finding ways to get to shore (including bridges, boats, catapults, stepping stones, and gliders); figuring out what he should eat (everything from mulberries to roasted seeds); and investigating where he should take shelter (in a rotten log). As the weeks and months go by, he misses his books, his paintings, his comfortable stuffed chair, his stylish clothes (now damp, torn, and lumpy), but above all his precious wife Amanda, whom he thinks about constantly. As the mouse faces his new life Robinson Crusoe-style, Abel discovers what it's like to be in tune with the natural world as well as his true nature, and what it's like to return, fortified, to his real home and to the arms of the one he loves. Along the way, readers can't help but rediscover the joys of being alive. (Ages 8 and older, but an engaging read-aloud for younger children, too) --Karin Snelson

Brave Irene (Sunburst Books)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Classroom pleaser 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

my son's second grade teacher read this to the class when they were comparing "pesky" words vs. "flashy" words and this book is full of GREAT words that second graders need to hear. sure she's a child in a messy situation but that's the deal in fairy tales. it's up to irene to get out of trouble on her own but she does it, in a mighty plucky fashion too!

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year

Brave Irene is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing-- quite an errand for a little girl.

But where there's a will, there's a way, as Irene proves in the danger-fraught adventure that follows. She must defy the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, and overcome many obstacles before she completes her mission. Surely, this winning heroine will inspire every child to cheer her on.

Amos & Boris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A simple tale , with an artfully told message 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Even a little child can make a difference!

This is one of the most empowering concepts for a young child to grasp. It is the message at the heart of this story.

When the whale saves a mouse drowning at sea, we are happy to see a creature so big, helping one so little. But later, when the mouse is able to return the favor by saving the beached whale, we cheer him on!

Steig's prose is rich and draws you into the story. He gives us a phosphorescent sea, an immense starry sky, and a mouse's quivering daintiness. Artfully done as well, are his presentation of some very grown up concepts: having ambitions in life, whether we go to heaven when we die, and having to move on and say goodbye to a dear friend.

My son and I enthusiastically recommend this book!

Editorial Review:

Amos the mouse and Boris the whale: a devoted pair of friends with nothing at all in common, except good hearts and a willingness to help their fellow mammal. They meet after Amos sets out to sea in his homemade boat, the Rodent, and soon finds himself in extreme need of rescue. Enter Boris. But there will come a day, long after Boris has gone back to a life of whaling about and Amos has gone back to his life of mousing around, when the tiny mouse must find a way to rescue the great whale.

The tender yet comical story of this friendship is recorded in text and pictures that are a model of rich simplicity. Here, with apparent ease and concealed virtuosity, Caldecott medalist William Steig brings two winning heroes to life.

Dominic

William Steig

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Dogs -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Dominic is a one-of-a-kind dog. One day this exuberant, restless, freedom-loving fellow decides there isn't enough going on in his neighborhood to satisfy his need for adventure. And off he goes, with an assortment of hats (rakish, dashing, solemn, and martial), his precious piccolo, and a few other things, leaving a note on his door:

Dear Friends, I am leaving rather in a hurry to see more of the world, so I have no time to say goodbye to you individually. I embrace you all and sniff you with love. I don't know when I'll be back. But back I will be. Dominic.

On the road, this curious canine is lighthearted, open to every option, all senses aquiver. It's not long before he encounters a prophetic witch-alligator, (who had "many more teeth than necessary for any ordinary dental purpose"); a catfish who gives him a long, sharp spear that will make him invincible in serious combat; and even the infamous Doomsday Gang, "who robbed, ravaged, cheated, attacked innocent creatures at large and travelers especially, and did all sorts of damaging mischief." Dominic remains undaunted throughout, for "challenges were his delight. Whatever life offered was, this way or that, a test of one's skills, one's faculties; and he enjoyed proving equal to these tests."

As he continues his journey, we find Dominic to be considerate, compassionate, generous, and philosophical. As he ponders the nature of death, the nature of wealth, the role of art in our lives, the nature of good and evil, and the yearning for true love, readers are left with a feeling that life is basically good, and even splendid:

"What a wonderful world!" thought Dominic. "How perfect!" Had it been up to him when things were first made, he wouldn't have made them a whit different. Every leaf was in its proper place. Pebbles, stones, flowers, all were just as they ought to be. Water ran where it should run. They sky was properly blue. All sounds were in tune. Everything had its appropriate smell.

Kids will adore the magical, comical, action-packed adventures of this remarkable dog, and readers of any age will come away from William Steig's Dominic somehow changed. An ALA Notable Book. (Ages 8 and older, and a wonderful read-aloud for younger children) --Karin Snelson

The Amazing Bone (Reading Rainbow Book)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Wonderful, and no less so for being a bit strange 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Our two children, ages 3 and 6-1/2, absolutely LOVE this story, and we love reading it to them, as it is a very fun book to read aloud. I suppose it contains some edgy elements for a children's book: violence is threatened several times, and Pearl (the darling protagonist/pig) is almost eaten by a fox -- but is this any more violent than, say, The Three Little Pigs? As William Steig says several times in this beautiful, enjoyable tale, "I didn't make the world." That being said, I suppose this story isn't for everyone, and I wouldn't recommend it for children who are especially young or easily scared, but having read a TON of children's book over the last six years, this is one of the few for which I've been moved to write a recommendation. Honestly, just hearing my kids running around exclaiming "Have you no shame, Sir?!" to each other (and everyone else) and then bursting into giggles was worth any talk explaining why foxes want to eat pigs. I'd give it six stars if I could, but then, I didn't make the world.

Editorial Review:

Can Pearl, a pig, and her new frined, a small talking bone, outwit a band of robbers and a hungry fox?

CDB! (Stories to Go!)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

William Steig--The New Yorker cartoonist and revered creator of the Caldecott Medalist Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and dozens of other magnificent books--first wrote and illustrated the original, black-and-white edition of CDB! more than 30 years ago. Adding splashes of watercolor on larger, broader pages (and an answer key in the back!), Steig brings new life to his well-loved favorite. For the uninitiated, "C D B!" translates to "See the bee!" Other letter codes are more challenging, such as the boy leaning on a tree saying "I F-N N-E N-R-G" or a droopy decrepit man slouching in a chair labeled "O-L H." Once you get used to this abbreviated Steig-speak, all (or at least most) will become clear--"X" sometimes means "eggs," "D" is sometimes "the," and "S" can be "is" or "has," for example. Or, you can just read the letters out loud over and over until the proper phrase emerges plain as day. (The pictures help, too, of course!) Those who crave more wordplay will want to explore CDC? This book is nothing less than X-L-N, and no home where words are celebrated should be without it. (Ages 5 to 105) --Karin Snelson

Gorky Rises

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A story that transcends time... 5 out of 5 stars.
28 of 28 people found this review helpful.

I read this story to my son when he was a little tyke. He's now nearly 20. I haven't read the book in years, yet, lately, I've been thinking a lot about Gorky and his travels away from home, up into the "blue, blue sky". Guess it has something to do with my 3 kids all about ready to take off on their own. The prose is marvelous, full of colorful and descriptive language, the story is beautiful, about the joy and pain of growing up and away, and the illustrations are an added benefit, though unnecessary due to the ability of the author to draw wonderful pictures with his magical use of the English language. Thank you William Steig!

magical book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this for a "future time," but our 2 yr old actually likes it now. Sometimes he only makes it through half, but he still picks it out for bedtime. The illustrations and language are wonderful. This is one of the stories that my husband doesn't get tired of reading over and over to the baby.

Editorial Review:

Clutching the bottle of magic potion he has made, a young frog falls asleep and wakes to find himself floating in the sky.

C D C ?

William Steig

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The DP Line 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

When there was great influx of immigration to the USA due to war or crop failures in other countries, these folks became known as "Displaced Persons" or "DPs" (which, I realize, is NOT the politically correct phrase currrently, but it WAS in common usage at the turn of the 20th century) - check out the different costuming in the drawing shown for this caption - they are all people from different nations in their national garb.

Very enjoyable! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My four children have enjoyed this book , as well as CDB. I brought both books in to my son's 4th grade "Reading Day" and the whole class participated in the "puzzle-solving" text. They had so much fun with both books!! I highly recommend these books for a fun and interactive read!

Editorial Review:

To figure out William Steig’s word puzzles you need merely read the letters, numbers, and symbols aloud. If at first the messages aren’t clear, there are clever pictures accompanying each one to give you hints. Some are easy, some are hard, but all are a hilarious treat when the phrases are decoded.
Originally published in 1984 with black-and-white drawings, C D C ? is given fresh life in this full-color edition painted by Mr. Steig. Also included is an answer key at the end.