The Wishing of Biddy Malone

By Joy Cowley

Book Overview

Biddy Malone stumbles upon a faerie village and meets a beautiful loveling, who asks to hear Biddy's three deepest wishes. Biddy tells him, but soon learns that something gained for nothing has no value. Full color.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142405892
• ISBN13: 9780142405895
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Puffin
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 0.1" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 4 years and up
• Grade Range: Kindergarten and higher

Customer Reviews

All around great book

A story of achievement through hard work without bonking you on the head with it, a believable heroine, an encounter with fairies that somehow seems possible, perfectly matched illustrations. Matter of fact enough even to appeal to boys in a read-aloud (even though it's about a girl who wants to sing and dance beautifully, it's also a subtle tale about ignoring bullies if you want to reach your goal). I should say at this point that I am an unabashed Joy Cowley fan. Whatever style she chooses to use (straight non-fic as in Red-Eyed Tree Frog, neo fairy tale as here) she completely immerses herself.

An Irish Tale

Biddy Malone has a fearsome temper. She loves to sing and dance but has no patience for the mistakes she makes or her brothers, who tease her. One evening, "it was the soft hour between day and night," Biddy stumbles into the land of faerie. The music and dancing are wonderful and Biddy meets the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. When he offers her three wishes she asks for the ability to sing, to dance and for a loving heart to soothe her temper. Biddy returns to her world where she discovers two months have passed. Initially, her wishes do not seem to be working but she practices every day and her singing and dancing improve. Once the fairies get hold of your heart though it is hard to move on though and Biddy must find her way back to the love of her life. This is an interesting folk tale without a tidy ending. Are our abilities the result of talent and gifts or the result of hard work and practice? Christopher Denise has filled with book with glowing images. His colors are in the tradition of N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish and Howard Pyle. I realized I knew his artwork from the Redwall books, The Great Redwall Feast and A Redwall Winter's Tale.