The Perfectly Perfect Wish

One morning a girl finds a wish. The only rule is “No wishing for more wishes,” so she must choose carefully. She contemplates her personal dreams: a blue ribbon at a horse show, a trip to Japan, real ballerina pointe shoes. She asks her friends and teacher for advice. After much thought she realizes she does not need the wish to fulfill her own dreams. Instead, she wishes for everyone’s wish to come true. The final pages are full-color, double-page spreads that show her friend who uses a wheelchair playing with a new puppy, her teacher moving into a house, and her friend with a military parent welcoming his father home. Wishes, imagined and granted, are depicted in full color. The remaining pages are black and white except for the glowing yellow wish. Told in the first person, the story is directly personal and visually dramatic. Pair this with Cat Wishes (2018) by Calista Brill and Thanku: Poems of Gratitude (2019) to explore gratitude and finding what we really want.