THE THREE AND MANY WISHES OF JASON REID

by Hazel Hutchins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1988

When Jason is offered three wishes, his first impulse is to get a mitt that always catches the ball; but since he is a thoughtful boy as well as a dedicated baseball player, the use of his other wishes holds some surprises. Tiny Quicksilver is passing through this world; it is the custom for him to give three wishes (usually coming to nothing, due to the recipients' foolishness), but Jason makes the obvious wish that never occurs in stories: three more wishes. Then he wishes for peace and plenty for the world, but that proves beyond the wee man's powers; so, while pondering a worthy desire, not greedy and not too big, he goes on stockpiling bicycle, aquarium, and the like. Friend Penny is enlisted in solving the problem, and it is she who notices that Quicksilver, though uncomplaining, is looking a bit translucent. In an ingenious solution, Jason uses his last three wishes to save the kids' ballpark by making a tunnel for a threatening highway beneath it; Quicksilver achieves this with a Herculean effort--fueled partly by Jason's relinquishing his earlier booty--and is free to depart. This is a winner--taking a favorite ""what if. .?"" to its logical lengths in the minds of a couple of nice kids, Hutchins has devised believable characters and a moral problem that has its analogue in the larger world, with plenty of funny dialogue and comic situations. Generous use of line drawings makes the brief text even more approachable. The author's first book; may it be one of many!

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1988

ISBN: 1550376535

Page Count: 89

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S