The Wishing of Biddy Malone - Hardcover

Cowley, Joy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399234047 ISBN 13: 9780399234040

Publisher: Philomel, 2004

Synopsis

Despite her obvious lack of natural talent, Biddy Malone ignores her critics as she dances and sings all around her small village, but when she encounters a fairy in the wood who offers to grant her wishes, Biddy Malone is excited at the prospect of finally making her dreams come true.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 4--Biddy Malone loves to sing and dance, though she has no apparent talent for either endeavor and a temper that is described as "a fine fierce thing." When the girl storms out of the house one evening and happens on a faerie village, a beautiful male asks her for her three deepest wishes. They are "to sing as sweetly as a thrush and dance as lightly as a deer... and for a loving heart." Back home again, Biddy finds that her wishes were not granted and that she must work to accomplish these things herself. Some years later, she attracts the attention of most of the eligible young bachelors in the vicinity, but still longs for the "loveling," whose village reappears at the opportune moment so they can pledge their love for one another. Done in acrylic paint and charcoal, the artwork does a good job of contrasting scenes of day-to-day life with the more brightly colored views of the faerie world. Cowley strives for a folkloric quality in this original tale, using sentence structure ("a loveling he was, with a band of meadow flowers about his head") and vocabulary ("mavourneen," "wisha") suggestive of Irish stories. There's not much magic in evidence, as Biddy achieves her goals only by dint of hard effort, and readers may wonder what her future holds as the domestic partner of a faerie. The unadorned stolidity of a moral tale lurks beneath the glimmering veneer of enchantment.--Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
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From Booklist:

Gr. 1-3. This original tale set in Ireland introduces Biddy Malone, a girl better known for her fierce temper than her creaky singing or clumsy dancing, who happens upon a faerie village at dusk. When "a most beautiful boy" tells her to name three wishes, Biddy asks to sing sweetly, dance lightly, and have a loving heart. Back in her village, she finds that none of the gifts has been magically bestowed, but with time and effort, she gains all three and her heart's desire as well. The beautifully cadenced story reads aloud with a musical lilt, and the artwork is infused with rhythm and grace. The acrylic paintings, defined and shaded with charcoal and rich with deep colors, sensitively contrast Biddy's two worlds. Attentive listeners will hear the gentle moral as well as the plot: Biddy values her achievements more because she has worked to attain them. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0399234047
• ISBN 13: 9780399234040
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Denise Christopher