The Wishing Flower
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
An LGBTQ-inclusive story about understanding your peers, your feelings, and yourself, The Wishing Flower is a love letter to longing, belonging, and longing to belong.
Birdie finds comfort in nature and books, but more than anything she longs for connection, to be understood. At school, Birdie feels like an outsider. Quiet and shy, she prefers to read by herself, rather than jump rope or swing with the other kids. That all changes when Sunny, the new girl, comes along. Like Birdie, Sunny has a nature name. She also likes to read, and loves to rescue bugs. And when Sunny smiles at her, Birdie’s heart balloons like a parachute.
From the acclaimed author of Dance Like a Leaf, with stunning illustrations by Kip Alizadeh, this book will inspire readers to honor their wishes and show the world their truest selves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Red-haired, pale-skinned Birdie loves to direct her dreams at "wishing flowers"—seeded dandelion heads—but "feels inside out at home and at school" and keeps to herself on the playground. The arrival of new girl Sunny, portrayed with brown skin, leaves Birdie gobsmacked: "When Sunny smiled, two dragonflies played tag in Birdie's tummy. When Sunny waved, Birdie's heart fluttered as fast as a hummingbird's wings." Birdie longs for bravery, thinking it will take a very big wishing flower to gather it up. But when the two bond without magic, they become inseparable, holding hands, jumping in sync, and braiding each other's hair. Finding a wishing flower, they blow on it together in an intimate moment of honesty and tenderness, and share that both of their dreams have already come true. Textured digital illustrations by Alizadeh (What Will You Be?) echo the unabashed exhilaration of text from Irving (Dance Like a Leaf). The vibe turns lyrical and impressionistic after the two girls connect, watching a sunset amid dusky whirls till "their toes kissed the clouds"—showing exactly how it feels to be seen and understood as never before. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Jordan Hamessley, New Leaf Literary. Illustrator's agent: Mandy Suhr, Miles Stott Literary.
