Hasel and Rose by Caroline Magerl

Rose and her family have moved.  She's a new face in a new place.  And all she thinks about is her wish.  Her wish doesn't really have form, she just knows she missing something and wants it back...

An Australian bookseller told me about the magic of this book, so I decided to buy a copy and check it out.  It's published by Penguin/Viking and available now.

The illustrations are almost like water colored sketches and are whimsical and a bit magical themselves.  The story is easy to read and can touch your soul.

Rose wishes hard for her undefined wish to come true.  Then she waits.  And waits.  In the meantime, her family tries to make things better by playing games with her, taking her to the toy shop and doing anything they can to cheer up.  One of my favorite lines in the book was:  "Mama told stories with her hands and feet."

During the waiting time, an old stuffed toy is traveling toward Rose.  It's travels are troubled but it keeps going.  And when it arrives, Rose knows that was what her wish was...

If only all our wishes and dreams came true.