I Wish

PreS-Gr 1–This wordless story from Germany features an unopened present, rife with possibility to a young imaginative mind. Told solely through economical illustration, this title conveys the hopes, wants, and excitement experienced by a young girl who receives a gift. At the outset, the girl’s gift is traditional in size and shape, but once her imagination ignites, the package’s metamorphosis begins. It starts humbly as a pair of shoes but evolves into much grander, intangible things, like a grandparent greatly missed and the entire cosmos. In the final scene, it’s revealed this young girl’s fantastical journey with her gift was, in fact, a dream. There is a surprising amount of depth to the emotions conveyed with very minimal illustration. This work may lack appeal to those who are accustomed to the elaborate illustrations of other wordless picture book authors, such as David Wiesner, Bill Thomson, and Aaron Becker.