Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Komako Sakai. It can leave children receptive to wish-inspired dreams. The Fox Wish is a picture-perfect bedtime story. It was generous of the other Roxie to let the wish stand. Roxie the fox was in awe at her wish coming true. Readers will find the scene stays with them long after the story has ended. Seeing seven fox babies jumping, as two others turn the rope and one sits waiting her turn, is magical. The acrylic gouache and oil pencil illustrations have a touch of red ballpoint pen highlighting the adorable spreads. Roxie the child let the wish remain granted, never saying a word about owning the rope. Roxie the fox thought her wish had come true. Roxie never mentioned the jump rope being hers, telling her little brother, “I like watching wishes come true.” Don’t we all? Wishes are magical, even more so when they are granted. The Fox Wish, narrated by Lukie’s sister Roxie, is a beautiful tale of wishes wished, wishes come true, and wishes seen. She had absentmindedly left it hanging on a tree. The two children were at the park to find Roxie’s jump rope the one with her name painted on the handle. Lukie tried to tell explain, but his sister hushed him. She explained to the kids how her wish had come true. When it was time to leave, the young fox named Roxie ran up to get her rope. Once the two children revealed themselves to the foxes, a fox asked the children to teach them how to jump rope. He couldn’t help it, the scene was that funny. Lukie found the scene quite funny, but laughing would have been rude.

But there was one problem the foxes kept tripping up and falling down. The foxes immediately began jumping rope and laughing. Roxie wished for a game, and there hanging on a tree was a jump rope-and it had Roxie’s name on the handle! What a wonderful wish. She and her siblings were on their way to the park to play.

Have you ever wished for something and had it come true? That is what happened to Roxie, the fox. “In this subtle, sensitive glimpse of magic, sister, brother, and reader alike find that the trusted familiar often lives right next to the truly extraordinary if only you have the eyes to see it.” “Have you ever found something you didn’t know you believed in? “Have you ever held the hand of a kid smaller than you?

The Fox Wish by Kimiko Aman