The screen door of Ella May’s house opened. When rain washes away the line going-all-all-all the way around it off the stones, and Ella May is the only one with a wishing stone, she discovers she is not as happy as she thought she might be.Ī gentle little story about the small delights and pains of being a child. One friend creates a wishing stone machine, and all the friends pay a penny for a wishing stone to be made for them, and Ella May is sad and wishes she was the only one with a wishing stone. When they find stones of their own, Ella May dismisses their stones, as the stones do not have the wishing stone’s line going-all-all-all the way around it. When her friends want to use her stone, Ella May says it is too special. On our list of Wonderful Canadian Picture BooksĮlla May discovers a special wishing stone. Note – illustrations and children’s names depict a racially diverse group of friends. When Ella May finally realizes that having a wishing stone is not nearly as special as having friends, the stage is set for a happy and imaginative solution that reunites the group.Ī great choice for children aged four and up, Ella May and the Wishing Stone is a (32 page) story that invites readers to think about what it means to be a friend, how best to share treasured items and imaginative ways to solve problems. The other children are resentful of the stone and of Ella May. Unfortunately, nothing resolves the conflict amongst the children Ella May wants to be the only person with a wishing stone and she wants to keep her friends. Unable to find their own wishing stones, Ella’s friends come up with a creative but short-lived solution to the problem. He put his stone in his pocket and tromped down the sidewalk to his own house.Įlla May watched him go, “Hey,” she said, “I wanted Manuel to go home and he did.

Although the children find all sorts of interesting stones, none is equal to Ella May’s. When Ella May refuses to let them hold it, they decide to find their own special stones. Tommy learns first-hand about the exciting life of these animals and gains a new perspective after each exciting adventure. Before long, Ella May’s friends have gathered ’round her, hoping to touch the magical stone. He comes to name this stone the wishing-stone, as it seems to grant his impulsive wishes to become various animals that happen to cross his path while sitting there. Certain that her extra special stone has the power to grant wishes, Ella May decides that her first wish should be to show the stone to all of her friends. While on a trip to the beach, Ella May is fortunate to find an extra special stone – a stone that has a white line all around it.

The wishing stone film 2002 cast