Publication Year: 2007
Type of Book: Picture Book
The Trouble With Wishes is about a Greek sculptor named Pyg. Pyg uses stone to create a beautiful goddess that he ends up falling in love with. Pyg loves the goddess so much that he wishes she could be real so they could be together. To his surprise his goddess does in fact come to life, only it isn't what he expected. Through this story you see Pyg realize why you have to be careful what you wish for because you never know what will happen. Pyg eventually learns his lesson and discovers what it truly means to be a good companion.
One thing that makes this story unique is that it is based on a famous Greek myth. It was interesting seeing a unique twist on traditional Greek mythology used in a way that children and adults of all ages can enjoy. It was very helpful that in the end of the book the author included the original story that this picture book was based off of. It allowed the reader to compare the two stories and learn more about where the idea for this book came from. The illustrations are another thing that made this story stand out. In each illustration you could get a clear sense of the emotions each character felt. If I were to just look at the images and not read any of the words I would be able to get a good sense of what the story was about. When reading the story I was annoyed with Pyg because he didn't realize Jane liked him and wanted to spend time with him. Instead he was too focused on his stone goddess, who treated him poorly even though he did everything for her. Even when the goddess continued to be rude to Pyg he still treated her well. Pyg bought her new clothes and even took her to get her hair done after it got ruined from the pond. I just wanted him to say no and walk away. The only reason Pyg ended up leaving the goddess was because she ditched him at the princes palace and he had no choice. Even though he wasn't sad about leaving the goddess in the end, I feel like he would have stayed with her forever if she hadn't told him to leave. While Pyg was off with his goddess, I was not expecting Jane to create a dog out of the stone to keep her company. It just goes to prove that dogs are the best companions and that humans should learn a thing or two from them. Jane reminded me of a dog in the way that she was very loving, kind and a good companion to Pyg even when he didn't deserve it. I was happy in the end that Pyg smartened up and came home to Jane, where she was waiting with their new companion.
I would recommend this story to teachers who want to teach their students about Greek mythology. It is also a good book to read because of the lesson it carries. Be careful what you wish for is a lesson that students of all age should know and understand. This story did a good job in helping readers understand why what you wish to come true may not always be what you expected.
Image References
http://www.amazon.com/The-Trouble-Wishes-Diane-Stanley/dp/B001G8WEZY
No comments:
Post a Comment