9 magic wishes (A Modern masters book for children) [Hardcover]

Shirley Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Modern masters book for children | Publication Date: 1963

Magical new illustrations for a story by the author of The Lottery

A girl is given nine wishes by a mysterious magician, and her choices perfectly capture a childlike imagination. For example, wish one is for an orange pony with a purple tail; wish two is for a squirrel holding a nut that opens and inside is a Christmas tree; wish eight is for a little box and inside is another box and inside is another box and inside is another box and inside that is an elephant . . . But the girl is hard pressed to make a ninth wish, and instead leaves it on a rock for some other lucky person to find.

Miles Hyman, who is the grandson of Shirley Jackson, has created paintings that capture the enchantment of the text, which was first published with different pictures in 1963 and has long been out of print.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Luminous pastels by Jackson's grandson breathe life into this haunting 1963 tale, the only children's book written by the author of "The Lottery." Hyman sets the stage for the story's mix of fantasy and reality in the opening spreads. A lone leaf falls from high above a rural landscape as a house comes into view. With the opening lines, "Today was a very funny day. The sky was green and the sun was blue and all the trees were flying balloons," the artist turns up the magic, yet makes the text seem somehow logical. On the front stoop of the house sits a girl in a poppy-covered sundress, and a caped wizard offers her nine wishes. Eight wishes spring to life in warmly burnished, full-bleed images. For "a garden of flowers all made of candy," the light streaming through the leaves of a candy cane-striped tree echoes the poppies on the girl's dress; a tropical sunset backlights the mountains through which the girl and her cat float on "a silver ship with sails of red." Yet the duo always seems earthbound. The heroine politely turns down the ninth wish: "Thank you,... but there is really nothing more to wish for." The wizard leaves the last wish in a shimmering scarlet box on a lily pad for someone else, then turns back into a leaf and drifts up into the sky. Jackson's poetic scenes and Hyman's visual imagination provide the real wizardry here. Ages 4-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

reS-Gr 2-In this offbeat tale, a girl is given nine wishes by a magician. A few of her wishes are for fairly typical desires: a snowman, a garden made of candy flowers, and a miniature zoo. However, she also requests some bizarre things-an orange pony with a purple tail and blue eyes; a clown who is acquainted with tricks, games, and songs and has a butterfly on his nose; and a squirrel holding a nut that, when opened, reveals a Christmas tree. When the magician points out that the child has one final wish, she tells him "there is really nothing more to wish for." The last wish is placed on a rock for someone else to find. While the objects the youngster names could conceivably lead readers to speculate about what they might wish for given the opportunity, they simply sound outlandish and silly. Though Hyman has done an adequate job of representing the story in his soft-focus, muted color illustrations, many of the pictures are static-the running pony appears to be suspended above a field of sunflowers. This story was originally published 38 years ago (Crowell-Collier; o.p.). It is unlikely to hold much appeal for today's children.

Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 45 pages
• Publisher: Crowell-Collier Press; 1ST edition (1963)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006AYFOQ
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,011,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "What Do You Wish For?", November 20, 2001

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 9 Magic Wishes (Hardcover)

This book was written by Shirley Jackson whose spooky short story, "The Lottery", you might have had to read in High School.Originally published in 1963, it's back now with beautiful new illustrations filled with color and dreams from the lively imagination of childhood.
What if a magician with stars on his hat suddenly came up to you and gave you 9 wishes? Would you wish to live forever, or for world peace or for something much more wonderful like "a squirrel holding a nut that opens and inside is a Christmas tree." The wishes our lucky girl chooses are delightful and the illustrations of them are pure magic. The ending is the most beautiful part of a very special book. Read this one and find out.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, April 2, 2005

By 

B. Blando "lovesgoodbooks" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 9 Magic Wishes (Hardcover)

My 3 year old daughter loves this book and so do I. It shows a lot of imagination and creativity and is not over stimulating so it's good to read at bedtime. This is definitely one of our favorites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter's favorite, November 18, 2004

By 

sandpiper "sandpiper" (san francisco, ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 9 Magic Wishes (Hardcover)

This is my daughter's favorite book and has been since she was 5 or 6 months old. I think she was initially attracted to the pictures, but it probably helps that the adults who read it to her also enjoy the book. The images are luscious and include fun details to notice with your child (the girl's cat is pictured somewhere on every page), and the voice of the story is enchanting.