Sunday, September 13, 2015

I Wish You More

Title: I Wish You More 
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal 
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld 
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Publication Date: March 31st, 2015 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Some books are about a single wish. Some books are about three wishes. The infallible team of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld have combined their extraordinary talents to create this exuberant book of endless good wishes. Wishes for curiosity and wonder, for friendship and strength, laughter and peace. Whether celebrating life's joyous milestones, sharing words of encouragement, or observing the wonder of everyday moments, this sweet and uplifting book is perfect for wishers of every age.  
What I Think: Every year, we give our kids a picture book on the first day of school. I've written about this little tradition over at Nerdy Book Club, here, and for a local blog called Little Lake County. It's one of my favorite traditions and so far my kids love it too. For 3rd grade, I was sure I was going to gift my kids Katherine Appplegate's The One and Only Ivan but it just so happens that Peanut and I read it before third grade, he wanted to buy his own copy at the Scholastic book fair and then we also went to Anderson's Bookshop to meet her in person. So instead we picked out I Wish You More to give him on his first day of third grade.
      This book is beautiful. It's so perfect to any child any time really. It reminded me of I Haiku You by Betsy Snyder because of how breezily the text moves us through the pages and how the illustrations to sweetly match the message.The repetition makes it predictable but how Amy Krouse Rosenthal finishes the sentences that make them stand out. She plays with words and seems to so easily bring childhood to life. I would definitely ask students to think about how the repetition works here but how the fact that she offers some unique ways to finish it makes it possible for the repetition to not get annoying. Students could try writing their own wishes that they might want to share with their parents or other loved ones. It would be neat to have them illustrate it and put it into a just-because card to give to a friend or family member. It's almost like a backwards wish on a birthday candle - instead of the birthday boy or girl wishing for him or herself, we can send our best wishes! This would also make for a great class anthology. I can just see all the wonderful illustrations!
     As a mentor text, I love this book might provide several jumping off points. Children could write about how these wishes might come true in real life or share their own stories for how they've experienced some of the wishes already in life. It's also a neat opportunity to talk about the math terms "more than" and "less than"!
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 12 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 12 
Read With: I Haiku You by Betsy Snyder, Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall, Here's a Little Poem by Jane Yolen, Only One You by Linda Kranz 
Snatch of Text:  
"I wish you more treasures than pockets."
Writing Prompts: Write about what you wish for someone important to you in your life. 
Topics Covered: Hopes, Dreams, Integration - Math
I *heart* It:
*Thanks to Chronicle Books for 
a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!*

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