Jubal's Wish

by Audrey Wood, Audrey Wood

After planning a picnic for his friends who are all too busy, grumpy, or depressed to attend, Jubal Bullfrog wishes for happiness for his animal friends and finds that sometimes wishes come true in unexpected ways.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Friendship, Fairy Tales, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Audrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! Interesting platform to discuss how sometimes the things we wish for come true in unexpected ways. Also, how sometimes when something seems bad, it just hasn't shown its good side yet.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The well-known, husband and wife author and illustrator team, Audrey Wood and Don Wood, have created an innocent and unique tale of a young bullfrog named Jubal that is filled with a zest for life. Like another of their collaborations, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, this story is “wondrous”, has a happy ending, and teaches a lesson about how to treat others and how life is often filled with unexpected gifts.

I was surprised to find out the illustrations in Jubal’s Wish were created digitally on a Macintosh. They are vivid and full of color, but on close inspection it is easy to see that they were not hand painted. Interestingly the illustrations are what I find appealing in this book. Every turn of the page takes the reader to another full-bleed, double page spread. The story begins with a “jubilant” Jubal skipping down a beautiful flower path holding on to his picnic basket. Don Wood artfully captures the changing mood of the story by gradually darkening the blue sky to create an unexpected turbulent storm in the lives of Jubal and his friends.

This book also is playful with its alternating perspective. For instance, on the second opening of the book the reader is looking into the book through what appears to be Jubal’s own eyes. Then on the third opening we are looking down on Jubal as he gazes up at the sky. Again on the fourth opening we are looking through Jubal’s perspective at Captain Dalbert Lizard. My favorite illustrations in the book, however, are the ones that include both the “wizard” and the wide-eyed Jubal. They have a mystical and grand sense to them.

Was the wizard real or was Jubal just dreaming as he lay in the grassy field on that beautiful day? Do wishes really come true? As both the Wizard and Jubal say in the book, “Dreams and wishes, wishes and dreams. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. You never know how they’ll turn out in the end.” This text will enchant young readers with its message of friendship, dreams, and a young bullfrog’s wish for his friends and neighbors to be as happy as he is.

[Caitlin Wooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jubal is a young frog with great social skills and high hopes. With a picnic lunch packed, Jubal goes out and attempts to take his near by friends on a picnic. He attempted once to ask a neighbor but she was too busy with house work and children. He then moved on to another near by friend. This friend was too busy with his work, this really discouraged Jubal. While Jubal was sulking near by, a wizard appeared and granted him a wish. This wish changed the rest of his day drastically. Although Jubal anticipated his wish to positively affected himself and the people around him, this was not the case. A storm came and swept away the village, but Jubal's friends were able to work together and create a fun adventure. Jubal was able to finally have his picnic with his friends even if it was in a different way than he expected.

I like this book. This book has a good moral and could be used to teach students its moral. I could use this as a social emotional lesson. I could teach that although things don't go as planned, we can still get to the end result. This book was a good heart warming book to be read to a younger group.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jubal’s Wish is about a bullfrog who is having a happy day. He made a picnic and wants to share it with someone, but everyone he comes across is in a bad or sad mood. He briefly wonders if he should be sad as well. Then he realizes that the day is too good and wishes for Gerdy and Captain Dalbert to have a better day. However, his wish doesn’t turn out the way he thought it would.

This book can be used in third grade with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. You can have a whole group discussion about character traits, motivations, and feelings, and then put the students into small groups to discuss the three main characters: Jubal, Gerty, and Captain Dalbert. You could even discuss the wizard. Then you can model how each character’s actions helped the story continue: Gerty said no to the picnic, so Jubal continued on his way to find someone else with whom to share his picnic lunch.

[Hannah Feeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jubal's Wish is a wonderful story for children of all ages! Jubal is a happy frog who just wants to go on a picnic. He asked all of his friends, but they are all grumpy. Jubal wishes that he could fix their problems. A wizard appears, and grants Jubal a wish. It appears that his wish of making everybody happy isn't coming true. It starts to pour and Jubal is so sad because his friends are still grumpy and he is about to be washed away in a storm. In the end Jubal learns that some wishes come true and others don't. He gets have his picnic with all his friends. The illustrations in this book are captivating and are sure to keep the children's attention!!!

[Kristen Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although, the pictures in this book were so bright and colorful, they were the only thing that kept my attention. I felt that this book lacked something. There was no rhyming or repetition to keep my interest. There wasn't much that stuck out to me that I will remember this book by. It is cute enough, but I don't recommend buying it. If it's there then it is a short read that is sort of cute...but I wouldn't go out of my way to get my hands on this one.

-Kristen

[Veronica O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost, the illustrations done by Don Wood on this book are AMAZING. The moral of the story was pretty good but I didn't think the way it was written was very interesting. But that is just my personal opinion. It is an easy to understand book that can be read aloud or read by lower elementary students.

[Sarah Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are absolutely out of this world. There is not a single spot on any page that is not colorful. This is an uplifting story about your attitude and selflessness. It is no wonder it's a classic.

[Amanda Wooden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually recommended to me so I read it and I actually did not just absolutely love it. It was a good book and I feel like most children would enjoy it but for whatever reason I just wasn't interested in it.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreams and Wishes, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. This is what Jubal discovers as he tries to enjoy a bright sunny day by sharing a picnic lunch with Gerdy Toad who was too busy, and Captain Dalbert, who was too depressed.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a nice book about how things don't always work out the way we expect them to. Reminds me of how God often orchestrates situations: they can seem horrible and not at all what we asked for, but he is all knowing and good, and sometimes those circumstances are exactly what we needed. :)

[Sarah Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one!!It is a heartwarming and beautifully told story about friendship, kindness, and the joy of helping others. It’s a perfect classroom book that sparks compassion and generosity in students.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork! These beautiful pictures and brilliant colors would have made this a favorite of mine as a child. The scenes have an almost-3D quality.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't always get what you wish for, or do you?

[Patrice]

BookTree
Sabine and Emerick really liked

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a wish being granted but not in the way you expect.

[Jonathan Ryal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is about a frog who is strolling down a path on a happy and sunny day. Jubal comes across a toad, her 7 toadlets and then a lizard who is a captain of a boat all while heading to have a picnic. He asks them if they would like to join but they all decline as they are having a bad day. Jubal carries on wondering if he should be sad too until he runs into a wizard who gives him a star to make a wish. Of course he wishes for everyone to be happy, but while on his way back to see if the others luck has changed, he notices everything seems to have gotten worse. A flood comes flying down the path where they all live and strands Jubal. Screaming for help, a boat in the distance fights its way down to Jubal. It is the Toad, her 7 toadlets and the captain lizard. They pick Jubal out of the water. All relieved to be safe, the storm clears up and they decide to all go on an adventure together. “Dreams and wishes, wishes and dreams, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. You never know how they’ll turn out in the end.”

[Jammie Mays · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmmm…Jubal’s Wish. I am not sure if I liked this escaping reality story. The beginning made me think of the Little Red Hen and how she asked the other animals to help her do the work that was required to make bread and all the animals said no. Then at the end of the story she made the bread and all the animals came to eat it and she didn't share with them because they didn't help. I thought that was going to be the same outcome of this story, but it wasn't. The bright brilliant colors the illustrator used to color the flowers in the garden, the wizard, and the flood really made the story come to life. I enjoyed leaving his sad life and depressed friends behind when he went to talk to the wizard. I was surprised to read the ending where his wish sort of came true and he was still willing to share his picnic food. I do not know if I would have been so forgiving…

[Winnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED the pictures in this book! The message is didactic in nature. I read it to my students today in class and they loved it as well. Loved the truth of the wizard's words.....I think I like the book even better due to a story given to me about the book from a friend. She told me her good friend's husband got sick unexpectedly. They decided to record him reading books and this is was one of them. Well, when it seemed like he was pulling through he died. The women had this story burned to cds and given to each one of their grandchildren.....boy did that make the story more sweet to me!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story with beautiful pictures. Audrey and Don Wood really know what it takes to captivate their readers. The illustrations in this story are bright and vivid during the happy times and gloomy and dark during the troubled times. The pictures really allow the reader to "feel" how the characters feel. I love the overall theme of the story, "Dreams and wishes, wishes and dreams. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. You never know how they'll turn out in the end." I think that this is a great book to use as a read aloud. I can't wait to share it with the children in my classroom.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - I really liked this, more than Julia in fact even though she enjoyed it. This has a mature touch to it. It's certainly fine for preschoolers but I definitely enjoyed that aspect to to the book.
As others explained, this is perfect for explaining about wishing and how sometimes we wish for something and we don't exactly think about it as much as we should. Also how when we wish for something we may just get it - just not in the manner we wanted or expected.
Jubal is a pretty cool character and I wouldn't mind reading another book with him in it. The illustrations also matched the story and Jubal perfectly which is always a pleasant surprise.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jubal's Wish is a story about Jubal, a happy and cheerful frog whose friends are unhappy and miserable. In an effort to cheer them up, Jubal makes a wish granted by a wizard. At first Jubal thinks the wish didn't work and instead it was a curse, but as things unfold he realizes that his wish may have been granted after all. The images in this book mirror the feelings of the characters. When Jubal is happy and cheerful, the images are bright and cheery. The same goes for when he is sad and let down, the images become dark and dreary. The whimsical illustrations create a magical story told through images.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know my illustration terms as well, so I'm not sure what this art work is. Perhaps it's computer graphics of some sort. Whatever it is, it is not the norm for books by the Audrey and Don Wood. Still, the story was the cute. And the pictures were not that bad. I like the part of wishes and dreams and such, but what an odd way to solve everyone's problems. Then again, they are creatures in a book, so what is normal in storyland? I think a story time audience would love seeing these pictures, I'm not sure how well the story would go. Perhaps a book talk for it.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Theme: What seems bad in the beginning will often be for the good
Summary: A story about a bullfrog named Jubal who wants to share a picnic with one of his friends but they're all busy or not in the mood. Jubal becomes sad and wishes things were different. His wish comes true but in the beginning he believes he made things worse but finds out in the end that they can all be happy as they form a community where they all work together.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jubal’s Wish is a story about a happy little bullfrog who wants to enjoy the day by having a picnic with his friends. His friends are not in the mood for a picnic due to their bad moods. Jubal makes a wish to help solve his friends’ problems. The problem is no one knows if the wish will work or not, and how they will turn out in the end.

The pictures in this book are amazing and filled with color. The end pages are a light blue, the same color as the sky on a clear sunny day.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an early edition to my children's picture book collection. I love the illustrations, and the story is a great one as well. It was given to us by my daughter's first daycare provider. I read this aloud to her kindergarten class; they all seemed to enjoy it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of that saying from Forrest Gump, "MaMa always said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". Read it you'll understand. Use a southern accent when you read it, I think that's the way it was meant to be read. Terrific illustrations.

[Sabrina Rutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved this story so much that as soon as we got to the end we had to start over again! The illustrations are so pretty and Jubal is such a cute frog! I highly recomend this one! I absolutely loved doing the pirates voice (I give each character a unique voice when I read to my kids).

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jubal makes a wish and wishes happiness for his friend Captain Dalbert and chores completed for his friend Gerdy. When a wizard grants his wish, he finds out that your wish may be granted in a way you were not expecting.

[Michelle Brandstetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful little book about wishes and dreams, dreams and wishes. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. The illustrations are beautiful and the message of the book is a little sneaky. And sometimes those are the best kind.