I Wish

When I'd read a couple of pages, I thought this book was going to be a bit odd and not for me. I thought I'd quickly read it, leave a review and move on to something else but this book really grabs you and before I knew it, I was reading every word and studying every illustration.

The book is made up of poems inspired by the words 'I wish' and each poem is paired with an image and it really is beautiful. The people in the images have the most incredible eyes and there is so much feeling in their faces.

I cannot wait to see this book in print and to share it at school. I know that the children will be inspired to create their own 'I wish' poetry and portraits.

A great coffee table book, or perhaps a book to give to your favorite pediatrician to have in their office. There are wonderful old-fashioned portraits of Dutch children, reminiscent of Vermeer’s paintings from the Baroque period. The portraits created by Ingrid Godon and based on old-fashioned portraits, all have a measure of inscrutability that accompanies beautifully the prose/poems written by Toon Tellegan and translated by David Colmer. Just looking at the portraits can be mesmerizing. The longer you look, the more you wonder what is happening behind those eyes.
That’s where the prose/poems come into play. As you read, you can hear the child’s voice, sometimes using very adult words and voicing very adult thoughts. Those thoughts range from a desire to go back, all the way back in time, sometimes to take a different path, sometimes just to be the only one who has been forward and then back to a more child-like thought of having a rhinoceros for a pet.
Throughout reading the short pieces that accompanied the portraits, I was struck by the honesty that you would expect from the mind of a child, often with a child’s egocentricity. What was unusual, and yet no less believable were the adult themes such as death and dying, belonging, being a part of something, or wishing to disappear. The thoughts, accompanied by the drawings made you want to stop and think, feel the emotions that were being expressed before moving on to the next one.
It was easy to forget the words had been written by an adult as you read and delved into the portraits and rather believe they had been written, or at least thought of, by a child. There were segments that made you smile, some that made you think, and others that were simply echoes of thoughts you have had, perhaps when you were a child. Most of them are thoughts you know will always remain inside for fear of being ridiculed or simply because the thinker wanted something that was just their own.
It’s the kind of book you might pick up at moments of introspection or simply quiet times to help foster thoughts of your own. It’s not designed to be read from beginning to end, non stop, but to return to again and again, when the mood strikes and you are looking for something just a bit different. My thanks to Elsewhere Editions of Archipelago Books and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Digital Reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed the ideas, thoughts and fears expressed by children in this book. It is fascinating to see the insights of children into their own selves, and their use of expressive language. This is deep and honest book which I imagine would encourage pupils to explore and express their own feelings in a range of personal topics.
Thanks Netgalley.co.uk for my free copy in exchange for an honest review

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I'm not a huge poetry reader but have been trying to expand my reading into that medium over the last year or two. This collection pairs thoughtful and, at times, sad poems with haunting illustrations inspired by old photographs. The pairing of the two is perfect.

I absolutely adore illustrations that are used well in books, whether they be for adults or children and I think that this pairing was done amazingly.

The poems themselves were thought-provoking though sometimes a little too similar to each other. However I found the overarching themes of loneliness, mortality, imagination and love to be quite uplifting in a strange way.

Overall I really enjoyed reading and experiencing this book and would highly recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars!

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this early copy in exchange for my honest review.

'I Wish pairs writing with a gallery of portraits inspired by old-fashioned photographs'

That alone made me interested in reading this! All of the photographs added something so different to each poem. I myself love poetry and making them from perspectives of mostly children was beautiful.

Most if not all of the poems you can relate to. This was a fantastic read and will be picking up a copy for my shelves when it's out!

Highly recommend this to everyone!

I will be posting a full review on my Goodreads close to the publication date

https://www.goodreads.com/shaanhbxo

When I requested this book I wasn’t sure what to expect, even though I read the blurb on Netgalley.

It is stunningly illustrated and deep with philosophical writing based on wishes.
As I am primary based I said I wouldn’t order it for the library but I do believe there is a place for it in a high school or public library. There are some deep words and emotions captured and would recommend it to English leads in Y7 and 8.

This Book was so unusual, but also so fantastic in its own right. It's more than a children's book. It poetic and the words on the page are so relatable, even to my adult self. I Wish is something I will read to my kids for ages to come.

Interesting book with illustrations from years ago. The prose pieces hold depth, which could initiate some intriguing conversations! Each poem begins with “I wish...”, which then covers topics such as a perfect day, being ignored and unnoticed, fighting vanity, etc. This was such an interesting read. I was given a copy by NetGalley for my honest review. #IWish #NetGalley

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book of poems has been translated into english beautifully and is a heartfelt collection of poems and artwork of children to coincide with each other and I must admit they gel together beautifully.
I really enjoyed this book and read through it rather quickly.
The style of the poems come across as though written by children which works so well with the artwork that coincides with it.

I Wish
by Toon Tellegen

Archipelago Books

Elsewhere Editions

Children’s Fiction

Pub Date 31 Mar 2020

I am reviewing a copy of I Wish through Archipelago books/Elsewhere Editions and Netgalley:

In this book the imaginative Dutch Author Toon Tellegen matched 31 Imaginative prose poems with the Statement I Wish, and uses famous, luminous, old fashioned face paintings by Ingrid Gordon.

In I Wish, each poem is paired with faces faces from a time that has long since gone by, the portraits are inspired by photographs from long ago. Among the paintings are young children, men and women, and babies, speaking through Toon Tellegen’s longing language. Among the pages are dozens of confessions and the writing presents a kaleidoscope of wishes, from imagined feats of heroism to reciprocated human love.

I give I Wish Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I loved this book. I am not a poetry fan as a general rule, but decided to give this a try because the illustrations looked so interesting. This book may have changed my mind on the poetry front. Each one is simultaneously silly, irreverent, serious and thought provoking. The illustrations well compliment the poems, adding feelings of humor, sadness and introspection to each reading.

While I thought this book was wonderful, and *my* kids would love it, I am not sure if it will be well-received as a children’s book. I could see it doing well as a teen, tween or middle grade introduction to poetry and the artwork of Ingrid Godon. This may be an Americanism, but I dont think parents of picture book aged children are going to respond well to the subjects and depth of theme, at least not in the elementary aged groups. That said, I would still recommend this as a purchase for our library, it just may do better added to other sections of our collection.

If someone wrote a book of poetry for me, this would be it. What a pleasure this was to read! Maybe the author wrote it for you too.

I'm normally quite hesitant to read and review poetry. I don't feel like I "get" it. Maybe I was missing my calling in children's poetry because almost every poem in here really hit the mark. Bite-sized and charming despite some it's darker themes and interlaced with whimsical takes on old portraits, I just fell in love. The tone and character of the poetry was full of childlike candor and far more emotion than I anticipated. It is definitely that wonderful mix of happy-sad that warms your heart. Definitely would recommend to children but even more to adults. I'll definitely be picking up a hardcover to have on my coffee table and revisit again and again.

I'm never quite sure what I'll find when I get a book in translation. Sometimes the books work, others not so much, then I keep hoping a better will arrive or that by some miracle I will learn the language! I enjoyed this one! I love the concept and the poems. They are odd, they are silly, they are thought provoking. The illustrations are just so peculiar, yet perfect and vintage... I am looking forward to finding a copy of this book to take a peak at in in color.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The cover was really odd and it drew me in. The I Wish inspired poetry and accompanying images were beautiful. I have recommended this to many of my friends.