On a trip to her grandparents' beach house, Jaime wishes she could play with her puppies on the beach. But with the braces on her legs, she finds it difficult and just watches them play. Suddenly, the cries of a unique sea creature take her to the beach. Wilbur has always felt alone because everyone made fun of him. However, meeting Jaime makes Wilbur realize that someone else knew what it felt to be different. Soon, Jaime and Wilbur strike up a friendship, and Wilbur comes up with an ingenious idea to bring more friends into their loving family. As other creatures join their little gathering, Jaime and Wilbur realize that it just takes loving hearts to make a family. Join the adventures of two friends with Wilbur's Wish by Paula BeBe Murphy and Stella Maris Mongodi.

A moving tale about embracing the differences of others, Wilbur's Wish is a beautiful story that warms your heart. Written by Paula BeBe Murphy and complemented by some colorful artwork by Stella Maris Mongodi, this children's picture book is an absolute delight to read. Jaime is a sweet and kind girl who instantly forms a friendship with Wilbur, sensing his need for someone to understand what he is going through. The two friends bond over their shared feeling of being different than others and, eventually, find many more who feel the same. Kids will have a wonderful time with this book, and the underlying message of empathy makes it a must-read.

“What makes us different also makes us wonderful, needed, and lovable.” Jamie is a clever little boy. He may wear braces to help him walk, but he’s so full of love and caring; he doesn’t let his braces make him feel any different. During a summer at the beach, Jamie meets Wilbur, a sea creature who is very sad because he is very different, so different, he doesn’t know what he is. And, Wilbur is sad because he doesn’t have any friends. So, with Jamie’s encouragement, Wilbur reaches out to the sea and extends an invitation to all ‘different’ sea creatures to join his friend family. And there are a lot who answer his call. The summer passes quickly and Jamie and Wilbur have made a lot of great friends, each and every one of them very different. And that’s okay. Because, as Jamie points out, “It only takes loving hearts to make a family.” Loving hearts don’t have anything to do with differences. After all, we’re all different, and unique in our own way.

Paula BeBe Murphy and Stella Maris Mongodi’s picture book story, Wilbur’s Wish, is all about differences and accepting who you are and who everyone else around you is. The story is written in the first-person narrative, from Jamie’s point of view. The plot follows Jamie to the beach where he first meets Wilbur and helps Wilbur find a friend family, a group of sea creatures each with their own unique differences. The big learning curve is that differences can bind, not tear apart, and love and friendship conquer all. The language is simple so young readers can follow along. The illustrations are bright, bold, and colorful and help move the story forward. I loved all the different sea creatures. The illustrations clearly add another dimension to each new character’s description of their uniquely different qualities. As well as being a sweet and touching story, this is a great learning tool to help young readers learn to accept themselves and to accept others – just the way they are.