In this magical rhyming story, Rabbit is given three wishes but has no idea what to do with them. He sets off to visit his friends and ask them what they would wish for.
Mouse feels so small that to fly would be welcome; Rabbit imagines being with Mouse in a hot air balloon, surveying mountainous vistas and wonders, "Is this wish for me?" Fox wishes he could write stories with the power to inspire, and Rabbit imagines a library full of exciting volumes, with Fox penning away with devoted concentration. Bear wishes he could explore the open sea, and Rabbit wonders again whether this could be his wish.
But then — and you can almost see Rabbit's heart warming in the illustration of him holding a dandelion puff and wishing — he takes his friends' wishes to a new level. He wishes for the small to feel uplifted, for inspiration to wash over everyone, and for a world filled with adventure that we can all enjoy together. He has gone from the personal to the altruistic to the universal.
But lest we get too lofty too fast, after granting these wishes, Rabbit looks crestfallen. "There are none left for me?" Now it is his friends' chance to return Rabbit's generous kindness.
Chris Saunders, who both wrote and illustrated Wish, has created such winsome characters that 4 - 7 year olds will follow along with their own puzzlement, wonder, and delight as this story unfolds. As for us grown-ups, the book tosses a question back at us: What will we do to take our personal desires and use them to support everyone around us?
