Italian author/illustrator team Giovanna Zoboli and Simona Mulazzani, who have also collaborated on The Big Book of Slumber and Felix, here delivery a dreamy meditation on the animal world, and the many amazing characteristics of specific animals. As the narrator wishes they had this or that - the contentment of a dog when it is snowing outside, the thoughts of the deer who listens in the wood - it becomes clear that what is sought is more than just special skills. It is connection - to the natural world, and to the cosmos itself. This last is evident, as the book closes with the wish for "the huge ears of an elephant to hear what the heavens say..."

Originally published in Italy as Vorrei avere, I Wish I Had... is another of those Zoboli titles that seems so simple and sweet upon the surface, but which offers hidden depths of meaning and delight, for the alert reader. In this respect, it reminds me of Zoboli's The Most Mysterious Mouse, which was the single best picture-book I read, back in 2016. I notice that many reviewers seemed to dislike this one, reading the narrative as a simple wish for various animals' abilities. For me though, the wishes expressed spoke more to what those abilities signified, in the larger scheme. Thus the wish for the singing of the whale as it crosses the ocean is not simply a desire for the whale's own voice, but a longing for a means of self guidance through the darkness, a longing for a method of finding one's own kin. Each of the wishes expressed here could thus be interpreted either on the surface level, or on a deeper level. The accompanying artwork from Mulazzani is just breathtakingly beautiful, with gorgeous details - the designs on the whale's body, the apartment building-looking trees that the lemurs are climbing - that add to the richness of each scene. I don't know that this one will strike everyone as it did me. Perhaps I am over-interpreting, but then, reading is in the eye of the reader, not the writer, so I won't apologize. Instead, I'll respond to the book's title by wishing that more of Zoboli's titles had been translated into English! Recommended to picture-book readers who appreciate gorgeous art, and dreamy, more philosophical texts. ( )

A wonderfully illustrated meditation on the most desirable attributes of different animals. ( )

I Wish I Had.. is a beautiful visual book for young children to explore. It ventures through the wishes of the narrator. However, the wishes the narrator makes are unique and personal. Each wish originates from the characteristic of an animal. This book visually depicts creativity and thinking outside of the box. This story is an informational text that transitions into fantasy when the narrator discusses why they want the specific qualities of the animals. ( )

Each page of this book shows a new animal and the author wishing to do what that animal does well. The last animal is an elephant and the caption says : “I wish I had the ears of an elephant to be able to hear what the heavens say.”

This book describes the main strength of animals, such as the long neck of a giraffe, the camouflage of a tiger, the strong wings of a goose, the fast legs of a hare, etc. This is a great book for young children to learn a few things about animals.