Wait and See
While I enjoy Robert Munsch books, I did not think this was his best story. The story itself is a great idea because it is a fantasy for all children to have their birthday wish come true as soon as they blow out the candles on the cake. The possibilities would be endless... I shared the idea with several kids in my class and they had a great time imagining what they would wish for if they were sure it would come true. They had some really creative ideas. In that sense, I suppose this book is great for the classroom as a means of sparking discussions.
The problem is, this story doesn't really go very far. First, the mother and the father have baked a cake for Olivia, she wishes for snow and her wish comes instantly true. Then, they quickly bake another cake for her to stop her first wish and the next one comes true. This continues until she bakes her own cake and wishes for new babies.
The wishes are disjointed with no real relationship between one and the next. The story ends with Olivia, her mother and her father each pushing a baby in a stroller, so there is no real conclusion or consequence for her actions in the story.
