Anything

Newbery Medalist Rebecca Stead’s first picture book is a transporting tale about the power of an honest wish, the courage to speak it out loud, and the imagination to bring it to life.

What’s more powerful than a secret wish? A wish you say out loud.Anything paints a tender picture of a father and daughter moving into a new home. Dad brings a birthday cake for the new apartment to celebrate their new beginning and tells his daughter she can wish for anything (or, more precisely, “three Anythings”). Over the course of the day, she wishes for some of her favorite things, including a rainbow and “the biggest slice of pizza in the whole world." But she keeps some of her wishes inside. Because what she really wants is to go back home to their old apartment, with its big blue bathtub and space in the closet for hide-and-seek. When she finally admits this last wish, her dad takes her on a journey, and by the book’s final pages, she is home . . . in every way that matters. Pairing an enchanting story from Rebecca Stead (author of the Newbery Medal-winning When You Reach Me) with delightful artwork from Gracey Zhang (illustrator of the Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning Lala’s Words), Anything is pure magic. A story that will resonate with every young reader, it is a powerful reminder that sometimes making a wish is a way of telling ourselves we're ready for something new.

Perfect for: Kids facing change, new beginnings, or uncertainty Parents seeking a comforting, uplifting book to share with children Educators and therapists looking for resources to coach young readers through challenges and change Father’s Day or birthday gift for dad Fans of Rebecca Stead books, including When You Reach Me, The List of Things That Will Not Change, and The Lost Library Fans of Gracey Zhang books, including Lala’s Words: A Story of Planting Kindness, When Rubin Plays, and the many award-winning titles she has illustrated

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