Wishing

Wishing

?? "The Old Woman and the Vinegar Bottle" and the one about the man who is offered three wishes; and wishes for (1) a pudding; (2) for the pudding to be stuck to the nose of his wife, who had just scolded him for wasting his wish in the pudding; (3) for the pudding to be at the Devil!
?? I Wish I were a Butterfly....I can't recall the author, but Ed Young did the lovely art work . I have used it with second graders successfully, having them write about their wishes and then trying some of the chalk/pastel drawings in the style of the artist. The book makes a nice statement about self-acceptance in a rather suble way.
??, Freckle Juice
Alexander, Lloyd Cat Who Wished to be a Man (1973) When he begins dealing with humanity, Lionel the cat begins to understand why his wizard master was reluctant to change him into a man.
Baylor, Byrd Illustrated by: Parnall, Peter. Hawk, I'm Your Brother (1976) ALAN 1977 Rudy Soto takes a baby hawk to raise in hope the kinship will bring him closer to his goal of flying.
Billingsley, Franny Well Wished. Two girls switch bodies after making a wish at the town wishing well, which, if I remember correctly, will only grant one wish per person. One of the girls, who had a physical disability, refuses to switch back, and the protagonist is faced with either accepting her fate or tricking her friend into wishing them back into their original forms, since she has used her own wish already. There are some rather sinister characters in this novel, and you may decide that the plot and themes are too advanced for third graders, but it's worth a look, I think. The more sophisticated readers in the class would find a lot to ponder.
Billingsley, Franny. WELL WISHED (recommended by several people) about an 11 yr old in a mysterious mountain village that has a magic well with a caretaker. The townspeople have made wishes in the past with disasterous consequences. Nuria trys to outwit the wishingwell so that everything will come out right. Two girls switch bodies after making a wish at the town wishing well, which, if I remember correctly, will only grant one wish per person. One of the girls, who had a physical disability, refuses to switch back, and the protagonist is faced with either accepting her fate or tricking her friend into wishing them back into their original forms, since she has used her own wish already. There are some rather sinister characters in this novel, and you may decide that the plot and themes are too advanced for third graders, but it's worth a look, I think. The more sophisticated readers in the class would find a lot to ponder.
Brittan's Wish Giver
Calder-Marshall, Arthur. The Fair to Middling . It is indeed strange; and would, I think, be too sophisticated for the intended age-group; but might offer an unusual perspective on the subject to a somewhat older readership.
Carle, Eric. The Mixed Up Chameleon "teaches" the value of being oneself -- Picture Book.
Carson, Ella Enchanted
Catling, P. The Chocolate Touch. Third grade reading level, a modern retelling of the King Midas tale, great to pair with one of the many retellings of King Midas... Be careful of what you wish for... you just might get it!
Coatsworth, Elizabeth Illustrated by: Ward, Lynd. Cat Who Went to Heaven (1930) A poor, starving, young artist gets a cat from his housekeeper with a wish for Good Fortune. Shortly after, he starts a painting of Buddha blessing the animals, and the pious cat wishes to be included.
Eager's Half Magic. involves a family of children who get one-half of everything they wish for.
Friesner, ? The Wishing Season. (a variant of a magic lamp/genie tale) This one
Gregory, Eve et al: The Fisherman and His Wife, and other Wishing Tales; Edward Arnold, 1985. But I am sure that the better known tales are in many collections!
Griffin, Peni. _Switching Well_ Two girls who switch places in time -- one is from 1891 and one lives in 1991. It also features a wishing well.
Grimm Brothers. The Fisherman and His Wife
Hutchins, Hazel. The Three and Many Wishes of Jason Reid Jason was prepared when offered three wishes to make none of those foolish wishes that characters in fairy tales always do. It themes include using your intelligence, importance of friendship, community service, avoiding stereotyping... The book is a short chapter book at about mid-third grade level. We enjoy reading it aloud early in the school year to 3rd-4th graders. It would be a good choice for a mid-range third grade reader.
Kovalski, Maryann., _Frank and Zelda_ (Kids Can Press, 1990). Frank and Zelda run a pizzeria.A mysterious client who cannot pay for his pizza grants Frank and Zelda's wish for 1000 paying customers/day. They become so overworked that they wish for waiters--they get hundreds. Each wish leads to more and more problems, until Frank and Zelda realize that they had actually been quite happy before all the wishing. They finally decide to take control of their own destiny, and devise a plan.
Murdley, Jennifer. Toad (Coville)
Nesbit, E. "Five Children and It"
Polacco, Patricia. My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother (1994) After losing running, climbing, throwing, and burping competitions to her obnoxious older brother, a young girl makes a wish on a falling star.
Rodgers, Mary. Freaky Friday--involves a girl wishing she were her mother, and having the experiece come true.
Sawyer, Ruth Illustrated by: Seredy, Kate. Christmas Anna Angel (1944) Hungarian Anna wishes for cakes for Christmas, but the war makes this difficult until her angel appears and helps her make the confection.
Sterman, Betsy. Too Much Magic

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