Wishes for You [Paperback]

Tobi Tobias (Author), Henri Sorensen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Wishes for you is a collection of warm and generous thoughts for a child growing up. Expressing joy, curiosity, creativity, and strength -- all universal hopes for a young life -- this book will let all children know how much they are thought of and how deeply they are loved. Tobi Tobias's heartfelt text and Henri Sorensen's serene paintings make this a perfect gift from anyone whose life touches the life of a child.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS-K. Beginning with the words "I hope," each sentence in this book declares parents' desires for their children. Expressed in very few words, the statements often distill complex emotions stirred by the love of a child: "I hope you will have moments when you're so happy, you'll feel the sun is shining from inside you"; "I hope you will know what you think and feel and not let other people tell you." Some thoughts are more straightforward: "I hope you will love to read." Sorensen's realistic paintings catch the loving sparkle between family members as they depict ethnically diverse people in images that amplify the spare text. A close-up of two children intent on a caterpillar's progress illustrates the wish "I hope you will always be curious." A picture of folks on a multigenerational picnic accompanies the words "I hope you will always be part of a family." This tender, never maudlin book gives expression to feelings too often left unsaid; it's ideal for lap sharing. Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Distills complex emotions stirred by the love of a child. Gives expression to feelings too often left unsaid." -- ALA Booklist

"…art…rich in dense color…alive with visible brush strokes… invariably captures specific moments and images…[while] speaks of universal truths." -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064437302
• ISBN-13: 978-0064437301
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars may they all come true, March 30, 2003

By 

"questionforbill2" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wishes for You (Hardcover)

A lovely and inspiring children's book with gorgeous illustrations that all children will love. I bought two more for the children in my family. Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Add Wishes for You to your Wish List, March 28, 2003

By 

Emily W. Leider (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wishes for You (Hardcover)

Tobi Tobias has written a little gem, a picture book that is poetic but utterly straightforward. WISHES FOR YOU consists of a series of wishes for the future of a much loved young child.("I hope you will love to read. . . I hope you will love being alone sometimes.") Danish artist Henry Sorensen's accompanying illustrations feature lush colors and realistic renderings of approachable-looking children being wistful, playful or intent on a task. This book would make an excellent gift for a child under five.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charm and Reassurance in Tobias's Wishes for You, March 28, 2003

By 

Martha Ullman West (Portland, OR 97215) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wishes for You (Hardcover)

Tobi Tobias, mother of two and grandmother of four, has been writing gentle, reassuring books for children for many years that stress the values that make families work and children feel secure. With Wishes for You, she succinctly and poetically creates a road map for the life of a child, wishing her or him--this book is for children, not boys or girls--the happiness of being alive, of loving one special person, of feeling your body move--understandable since Tobias is a prominent dance critic-- of being creative. Each wish stresses individualism in universal terms, the most compelling of which are"I hope you will know what you think and feel and not let other people tell you" and "I hope you will love being alone sometimes." These and the rest of the wishes in this book are ones I had for my own daughter at the time of her birth 27 years ago. Danish artist Henri Sorensen's illustrations are more than that: each painting particularizes a general wish: "I hope you will love to read" shows an Asian child with a book, a stuffed hippo, a live cat, a globe;"I hope you will never forget how to be silly" is illustrated with seven blond blue-eyed kids pretty clearly giggling as they pull one of their number in a cart. I like the multicultural approach taken by both the author and the illustrator and hope Wishes for You is read to and by many many children.