I will start off my review of The Wishing Flower with a slightly controversial observation. While, yes, this book is about a queer child and her feelings acceptance, understanding, and the want for a friend, you can adapt this to also show it is “just” about a child who is a bit shyer, who does not really fit in, but in the end does find a place to fit because she found a friend; that she found someone who accepts her for herself. And in the end, isn’t that what we all want? And A. J. Irving does that with their book about Birdie and Sunny, two girls with nature names and lots of friendship to give and connections to share.
I am looking forward to late May/early June 2023 to see how the final product turns out. I read an online reader copy, and I know there is a “physical feel” to the book that will add to my like or dislike. Because if the book is “too big” it will lose the cozy of the text and the sweetness of the art that Kip Alizadeh gives us. And if it is too small it will be too crowded with the loss of detail of the art and cramped text.
Overall, we know this story of two girls, one shy and “inside out” and the other a bit more outgoing. And we know the art, too. We know the smiles and blushes; the wishing flowers, the saved bugs, the bright yellow hats, the jade green shirts, and the simple (but far from simplistic) lines of the imagery. What makes this different is the entire package. Everything about it fits and fits nicely. It probably is because it is not “pushy” with making the entire school like Birdie (while great if that happens, sometimes you only have a friend or two when you are young). Maybe it is because it is around 20 pages, so a lot gets said in a short time. And maybe you will find another reason why this book works.
PS: The illustrator biography I found says Kip does not like wet socks.
