The Seventh Birthday Wish Paperback – Large Print, December 3, 2013

The Seventh Birthday Wish by Bruce E. Arrington and Florence Jayne is a fantasy picture book for ages 4-8 about Wesley and his magical adventure on his birthday.In a faraway land lived Wesley, and when he turned four, a door without a handle appeared in his castle home. Wait he must until seven years old, when a door handle appeared on it and let him through. Beyond awaited an antechamber lined with many beguiling doors, but a special round portal beckoned him unlike all the others.Kindly horses that fly—every child’s dream—gave Wesley a breathless ride. They whisked him away to visit an older boy. A problem awaited the lads, but the unexpected cause and their heartfelt solution was a delight.The Seventh Birthday Wish is a lovely fantasy for grade school kids. The story took me back to a simpler time when I first found the enchanting worlds inside of books. Arrington’s rhymes, coupled with Jayne’s illustrations, made this charming story an absolute winner. A must read for fantasy fans of all ages, especially those young at heart.

A lovely illustrated fantasy book about a little boy's birthday, The Seventh Birthday Wish is a great story to read to your child, especially before bedtime. The fantastical flyers and theme of generosity make this book special. No child can resist the dream of riding on flying horses that change color in a perfect utopian world. The illustrations are in keeping with fantasy, but are recognizable from a child's point of view; the horses are horses, but they have wings! The colors are bright yet in keeping with the dreamy, fantastical theme. I especially love the doors. Any child will thoroughly enjoy their flight into imagination, a lesson in generosity, and be reassured when their mother greets them afterward in warm familiarity. The Seventh Birthday Wish will make you want to snuggle with your child as you read, and what could be better than that?

Soft watercolor paintings illustrate this rhyming tale about a 7 year old boy who gets to visit a magical world on his birthday and wish for anything that he wants. The book is aimed for 4-7 year olds. Flying horse fans will like that there's a flying horse adventure, and nature and animal lovers will appreciate the theme of letting wild animals stay free.

I loved the Seventh Birthday Wish for several reasons, the primary one being the manner in which it was written. When my daughter was small, I used to write stories for her to read when I was away from home and unable to read to her. I strongly suspect that this was the way this book came into being. The story is written in lyrical verse, which lends it another dimension. It involves a child finding a secret door in the back of his closet and the adventures that lie beyond. If a book is to please a child, it must be entertaining and also hold the child’s attention from the first page to the last. Mr. Arrington achieves this well in this children’s book. It is just the right length to contain the kind of mystery a child wants to read, and I can picture a child and parent passing it back and forth as they each take their turn. If you are a parent or grandparent, grab a copy of this and arrange some time in which to enjoy the story. Four stars for Mr. Arrington and his crew of writers, poets, and artist.

I have twin daughters that are seven years old and we read this book together. They enjoyed the challange of the difficult poetry words that they hadn't heard of before. They loved the fantasy element of this and they enjoyed the fact that Wesley could travel through a magical portal on his birthday. They did however suggest that perhaps the words could have been less difficult and maybe included a girl adventure. They enjoyed the images and we wrote it in their schoold reading record as a book they enjoyed reading.

This was a cute rhyming story with a nice lesson about respecting animals and being a good person.

The author, Bruce Arrington, combines a fabulous imagination & a fun rhyming presentation in the Seventh Birthday Wish!Wesley lived in the land of Erastus where he had to wait till he was seven to have a very special adventure. The day came and he opened the magical door and his whimsical adventure began.A fun story for all to read. Follow Wesley through the brilliantly illustrated scenes as he learns (and teaches) important lessons. Diann Floyd Boehm

In this book Wesley Had his seventh birthday coming, his wish was to have a magical day of adventures by himself.This is a wonderful story of adventures, friendship and a moral on it. It has a feel of a fairy tale on it, with the writing style and the rhymes.I recommend this book, kids will love it.