One day, Ella May finds a stone that has a line going all the way around it. Surely a stone this special must grant wishes, she decides. Soon she is busy making wishes and bragging about them. When her friends want to share the fun, Ella May objects. But she soon learns that keeping the stone for herself is a sure way to lose friends.

When Ella May is lucky enough to find her very own wishing stone at the beach one day, she learns some very important lessons about the power of imagination, sharing, and the meaning of friendship. The simple lines and pale colors of the charcoal and watercolor illustrations fit very well with the innocence of the story; adding to it without taking it over. Make the reading more fun for your little one by coming up a tune and actually singing Ella May's wishing stone song; "Wish, wish, I’m making a wish/ On my wishing stone…." Your child will quickly learn the words and love singing along.

Ella May demonstrates different behaviors, which you can point out and discuss with your child.  At first, Ella May wants to be the only one with a wishing stone, so she puts her friend's stones down and doesn't let them hold hers. This behavior ends up with Ella May being left with no one to play with. Later, she learns that her friends are far more fun than a stone - even a magical wishing stone - because if there is no one to enjoy the magic with, it's just not as, well, magic! Ella May thinks of creative ways to help make her friends' wishes come true and they all realize the only magic they need is their own imagination. A great activity to engage in after reading this story is to go hunting for a wishing stone with your little one; it gets them outside, having fun, and using their imagination!