Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World [Hardcover]

Roseanne Thong (Author), Elisa Kleven (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

This lively compilation of wishing traditions from around the world is sure to educate and inspire young readersand makes a perfect gift! Each charming custom provides insight into the cultures of lands far and near while reminding us of the similarities we all share. Includes Japan, China, Thailand, Russia, Iran, Israel, India, Australia, South Africa, Italy, Ireland,Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This visually captivating book highlights wishing customs in countries around the world. Each double-page spread includes a bordered box carrying a rhymed couplet and a paragraph of text on practices such as wishing while throwing flowers and combs into the sea on New Year’s Day in Brazil or, in Ireland, wishing while blowing all the seeds off a dandelion puff in one breath. Additional facts about each tradition, as well as tiny lucky symbols hidden in the pictures, appear on the closing spread. Often infused with a sense of community and celebration, the colorful double-page illustrations are brimming with life and movement, while offering many intriguing details for children to absorb. The multimedia artwork includes drawn and painted elements as well as shapes cut from patterned papers and woven materials. The world maps painted on the endpapers feature tiny pictures representing a wishing custom in each country marked. An original presentation. Grades K-3. --Carolyn Phelan

About the Author

Roseanne Thong lived in Hong Kong for many years. She now resides in California and is the author of Red Is a Dragon.

As a child, Elisa Kleven enjoyed using her imagination to create magical worlds. This love of the fantastical greatly influences her illustration and writing. Elisa lives in Albany, California, with her husband and children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811857166
• ISBN-13: 978-0811857161
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This beautiful and interesting book will let you wish around the world!, October 18, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World (Hardcover)

All around the world little children traditionally have different ways of wishing for things. Also, different cultures have "lucky symbols" such as a dolphin, a key, a rabbit, a ladybug and many more. In this book you can search through the pictures to see if you can find the hidden symbols. We go on a long journey through many countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Guatemala, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, and, of course, the United States!


"We tie our wishes to bamboo

the seventh of July

as children look for starts that tell

a story in the sky."


This is a unique and very interesting book. The artwork is very colorful, busy and a young child can tell you the story by looking at and pointing out what is going on in the lovely artwork. Can you guess which nation ties their wishes to bamboo?

4.0 out of 5 stars Precious, June 13, 2011

By 

Tobhiyah Monroe "Tea" (USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World (Hardcover)

I love that this author is so sweet and positive. The pictures are colorful and interesting and the rhyme flows. I especially like that they're actual Cultural wising traditions from around the world. Great book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Make-A-Wish, June 17, 2010

By 

Catherine W. Hughes (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World (Hardcover)

From Guatemala to India to the United States, Roseanne Thong tells the traditions of wishing from around the whole wide world, with colorful illustrations of celebration. Children will take interest in hearing about their own traditions, as well as the traditions of countries near and far around the world. This story will make a fanciful resource for festivity, best suited for children 5-8.