WISH
By Matthew Cordell
Disney-Hyperion (3/03/2015)
Audience: Ages 3 – 5
Indiebound | WorldCat
About the book:
As an elephant couple embark on a life together, thoughts of children are far away–at first. But as the desire for a child grows, so do unexpected challenges. And it's only after thwarted plans and bitter disappointment that their deepest wish miraculously comes true.
Check out the official book trailer:
Quick thoughts on the book:
I have been a fan of Matthew Cordell's work for quite awhile. I love his style and the books that he chooses to create or work on. I had an opportunity to see WISH as a folded and gathered (an advanced copy of the book). It was charming and you could feel the depth of emotion felt by the elephant couple in the story.
Here are some glimpses of the inside interior of the book:
The planning, and hoping, and waiting and passage of time.
The text and the illustrations compliment and reach out and touch the heart of those who read this book.
WISH is a personal story (see the interview below) and one that couples in your own life may relate to on various levels and have different meanings for each reader. WISH is an inspirational book. I was super impressed in how it inspired Margie Myers-Culver, a Michigan Librarian, to donate 200 copies of WiSH to her community hospital to giveaway to families of newborn babies in memory of her mother. Here is a link to the letters she exchanged with Matthew, click here. Matthew followed up with a blog post of his own, here. And here is a link to a final post with a special video created by Margie to capture the process.
Now if all of this hasn't convinced you to find a copy of WISH and read and share it, I am not sure what else will. :-) So what are you waiting for? You can pick up a copy of WISH at your local indie bookstore or public library.
Interview with Matthew Cordell:
If you could describe your book in 2 sentences, how would you describe it to someone?
Wish tells the story of the incredible, emotional journey that is welcoming a child into the world. The inexplicably amazing moment of first meeting a child, but also the very highs and lows that can turn up along the way.
WISH has an element of friendship, belonging, or the hope for something very special, what did you draw on to get the emotional element just right in the story?
This book is very a personal one for me. My wife and I struggled for years before becoming pregnant with our first child. And again with our second. It was a difficult and, at times, very heartbreaking road. It can be a very grim and isolated place to be. As time went on, we realized that so many couples everywhere are dealing with the same struggles that we were. I wanted to share our story in a picture book so that parents who had endured similar challenges could share with their children just how meaningful and important it was that these children--these families--could become a reality.
Any new projects that you are working on that you can share with us?
I'm currently working on illustrating a picture book by authors Audrey Vernick and Liz Garton Scanlon titled BOB NOT BOB with Disney-Hyperion. Also writing and illustrating my first wordless picture book with Feiwel and Friends.
Summer and vacations go hand-in-hand. If you could go on vacation with your favorite book character (either in your own book or from someone else's book) who would you vacation with and what would you do?
Hmm... since the elephants in WISH are based on my wife and myself... There's no one else I'd rather go on vacation with than my wife. And we couldn't leave without our kiddos. I'd love it if we all got to go to Australia. (We could even be elephants!)
About the author:
att Cordell personally knows what it's like to wish. In fact, this book is the heartfelt windfall of him waiting for his wish come true a second time. Other books Matt has written and illustrated include hello! hello!, Another Brother, and Trouble Gum. He lives in Chicago with his wife, a young daughter, and an even younger son. Visit matthewcordell.com to learn more.
Thank you to Disney Hyperion for offering a giveaway of this very special book. To enter the giveaway, please complete the rafflecopter below. Winners must be 13 years or older and have an US mailing address.