"We unpacked books and cups and plates.
I made a secret wish that apartment 3B didn't
smell like paint.
Paint is not my favorite smell.
Nothing happened."
Rebecca Stead's first picture book! I could not wait to read it. But wait I did. Now that I have read it again and again, I want to share it with you.
The chocolate cake is a birthday gift for their new apartment. No candles on the cake as they have just moved in, except the one for good luck. Daddy offers a wish for anything. There can be wishes for very hard things, but Daddy doesn't seem concerned. Blowing the candle out comes with a question about how many anythings are reasonable. Daddy suggests three.
The first is a wish for a rainbow in the child's room. Done! When asked about a second, she decides to save it. The new playground nearby sports a very tall, and intimidating, slide. She makes a secret wish for a smaller one. Wish unfulfilled. The two buy plants for their apartment, and return home to unpack more of their belongings. A secret wish for no paint smell also fails.
Dinner time brings a wish for the second anything ... a huge slice of her favorite pizza. Though not totally happy with eating it in Aprartment 3B, she is content. There is no decision made yet for the third anything. After dinner, they play hide-and-seek before Daddy asks again about the third anything. Finally, she wishes that today not be Thursday, and bath day. She doesn't like the tub.
Daddy stood up straight.
"I have an important announcement," he said.
Today is not Thursday!"
I gave him a hug."
There are so many misses about their old apartment. The secret wish next time is to have never moved at all. It is unspoken before she falls asleep. Waking to unfamiliar sounds in the night, she expresses the wish for one more anything ...to go home.
Daddies can be so ingenious. He invites her to board the train that is his back, and guides her in a big circle around their new home. The trip is extensive and appreciated. They talk on and on about what is important as Daddy continues to carry her around and around the apartment. When she is almost asleep, he agrees that they are finally home after a very, very long journey. The morning brings added comfort.
Using ballpoint pen and gouache with exceptional skill and a gorgeous color palette, Gracey Zhang captures fully the emotions that are felt and shared here as the two make their adjustment from one home to another.
Two remarkable storytellers 'pen' a story that will resonate with readers and live long in memory.
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