The Wish at the Top

Jan was the son of a blacksmith, and lived in the shadow of his city's great church. His best friend Viktorin, who liked to tell tall tales, one day shared the story of the great golden ball at the top of the church's steeple, said to grant wishes to anyone who could climb up and rub it. When Jan discovered that his mother was deeply unhappy at the fact that she was unable to cross the mountains to see her parents, due to the outlaw Laszlo and his band, he decided to make the dangerous climb in order to wish for her heart's desire. Succeeding in his aim, he found it difficult to come down again, and became stuck. No one in the city could think of a way to rescue him, until a strange man showed up and saved the day, leading to an very show more unexpected happy ending in which Jan and his mother's wish was granted after all...

The Wish at the Top is the first book I have read from prolific children's author Clyde Robert Bulla, but I certainly hope it will not be my last! I initially sought it out because it was illustrated by Chris Conover, whose artwork I find very appealing, and whose books I have lately been exploring. As it happens, the illustrations here are in a different, more painterly style than Conover usually employs, and are apparently inspired by the work of the early Flemish painters she admires. However that may be, they were lovely, and were well-suited to the story, which appears to be set in a medieval or early modern central European city. I suspect that the setting is meant to be Hungarian, given the name of the outlaw, but it is never specified. The story itself is engaging, and although short, fully involves the reader in Jan's dangerous task. This was text-heavy for a picture-book - more of an illustrated short story, really - but I would have enjoyed having even more, perhaps even a short novella. Recommended to older picture-book and beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy (ostensibly) historical fiction, and tales of daring children. show less

No surprise, I liked this very much. The illustrations are lovely with saturated colors. What child has not wished for a seemingly impossible thing? A good story about complex choices and the wide space of gray between black and white.

Bulla knows how to tell a story; I must work harder to get caught up on his oeuvre. Conover's paintings for this are lush and lovely, immersive, and make the little book worth the full four stars. Otherwise, it's a fairly slight transitional novel for young independent readers. The theme/lesson is a good one, though, so maybe if your library still has this you would like to read it together with your child and discuss.

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