Wish in a Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Nancy Carpenter (illustrator)

An uplifting picture book celebrating neurodiversity, starring characters from Lynda Mullaly Hunt's New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Fish in a Tree

Oliver's brain is always bubbling with ideas, endlessly asking questions, and imagining wild adventures. This makes it hard for him to sit still and focus at school. And it makes him feel different from the other kids--especially when his classmate Shay constantly calls him “weird.” Oliver wants to fit in, and he envies the ants he loves to observe--as they all have a place in their colony. Then at recess on one particularly hard day he hides in a tree to escape from the others. He wishes hard that he could be like everyone else. His friend Albert finds him, and when he praises Oliver for having such a unique outlook, he helps Oliver see his brain in a new light. According to Albert, if people like Oliver gave up and became like everyone else, we’d be without our visionaries--our inventors, artists, and scientists. And as Oliver starts to build his own colony of friends with kids like Albert, he discovers that although his brain might feel scattered sometimes, it's also what makes him an astonishing, thoughtful kid.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, School, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great picture book about neurodiversity and brains of all kinds. I loved that the message of this book is that having a brain that's different isn't bad and that the world is a better place for having people who are different in all sorts of ways.

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this one and it'll be a pre-order for sure! Love the layers to this one and it's a book that would be great to read to kids of all ages and to think about the conversations that could come out of this! Great descriptions of how his brain "feels" and what kinds of things he's thinking about.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words you use when speaking to classmates matter - find your ant colony- and let's celebrate how our minds are different

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit like a therapist writing a conversation.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book! As a teacher, as a mom, and as a human. Scored a copy at NCTE in Boston this year for my kindergartener at home, and was very pleasantly surprised at how useful it’s been as a supplement to Fish in a Tree in my 4th grade classroom. An excellent message and story with the characters we already know and love (or hate *cough* Shay), and a really great way to talk about metaphors, how being different makes us better, and offers up some great language for my ADHD students to use in regards to themselves (describing their frustrations as well as positive messages to move forward).

A rare picture book, meant to be a spin off, that also works as a stand alone. If you’ve read your kiddos Fish in a Tree, you need this book- they will adore it. 10/10 Absolutely recommend. Will become a beginning of the year staple! Love Oliver to pieces :)

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynda Mullaly Hunt takes the major of theme of her award-winning Fish in a Tree, Great Minds Don’t Always Think Alike, and puts it in picture book form with a young boy named Oliver who doesn’t feel like he fits at school, especially when classmate Shay keeps pointing out his differences. At recess, he tries to hide in a tree, wishing that he could be like everyone else, but his friend Albert joins him, pointing out many ways that being your own unique self can be a great thing.

Beautifully illustrated and a much needed message in this picture book that can be used with the very young through older elementary readers just for the fun of it or during SEL lessons on valuing each others’ differences and being kind to all.

Thanks for providing an arc to librarians at the 2025 Texas Library Association annual conference.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver is aware that his brain seems to work differently that the brains of the other kids in the class. He can't seem to sit still, and he easily distracts himself. One girl, Shay, isn't very nice to Oliver. One day during recess, Oliver climbs a tree, closes his eyes and makes a wish to be more like everyone else. Thank goodness he has a wise friend.

This is one of those picture books teachers need to read, as a reminder for themselves, but also aloud to the class, to help give their students empathy and context for the kids who think outside the box. Not a picture book version of Fish in a Tree, but a delightful picture book about the potential of children whose brains work differently than their peers'. Nancy Carpenter's illustrations are great. I highly recommend Wish in a Tree. Oliver and his classmates are white.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver is different. His brain works overtime and he has difficulty sitting skill in class. He definitely thinks outside the box. Initially he thinks this is a bad thing -- mostly because one of his classmates says mean things to him. But then other kids in class rally to tell him how awesome he is and how it is important for everyone to not be the same. Their encouragement and support help him to say good things about himself and to not be so hard on his imagination and different ways of doing things.

Encouragement for the kids that think differently - I especially like that the author includes the thought that while Shay's words hurt, it is the words that Oliver says to himself that are truly painful. It is important to learn at an early age to not say things to yourself that you would not say to a friend.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to be a kid who feels like a fish in a tree or a dragon in a paper house. Oliver's mind is always swirling with questions, fun facts, and ideas, and he doesn't feel like he fits in with the other kids. Fortunately, Albert, a boy with an amazing vocabulary and EQ, admires and understands him. Oliver also intrigues Jada and her sense of curiosity. Oliver finds his colony! This is a great book for neurodiverse kids that celebrates their differences and exceptionalities.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed Fish in a Tree, alright, and this one was okay as well; it has a good message, but the language is so stiff and formal for a picture book. Some of it was so stilted that I thought it had been translated from another language (many translators are excellent, but some aren't so great). Anyway, good message, but not great dialogue.

[Jgramley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s Fish in a Tree so I knew I had to get this book! Boy did it not disappoint!! My favorite part was when they talked about how trees are most beautiful in the fall when they are not all the same. Such truth and yes I might be saying it because I love that time of the year. 🙂

[Holly Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver buzzes with ideas, but struggles with his way of being. His friend Albert helps him see that having different ways of being is what makes the world more wonderful. Love love love! And the illustrations are my favorite type of illustrations.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. It perfectly describes the frustrations as well as the superpowers of the ADHD brain, and I love that Oliver frinds friends at the end who *see* him and his brain for the amazing thing that it is. Really great picture book!

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was better than Fish in a Tree, but what I wrote in that review holds true here: "Albert's voice wasn't believable." And he's several years younger in this one, as far as I can tell. Shay is still a beeyotch. Anyways, decent message, but just ok execution. Good illustrations.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how the world needs this book! I was nervous because of how much I love "Fish in a Tree" but this far exceeded all my expectations. I cannot wait to share this with my elementary students!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In an ant colony, everybody matters.”

This is a lovely book about helping a friend to accept that it’s ok to think different as somebody else. To have crazy ideas and to acknowledge them.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic picture book inspired by the original novel Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Every educator needs to read this book. Thanks PRH Audio for the ALC.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy thinks about things differently than his peers. Some of his peers make fun of him, and he wishes he fit in.

[Sueb · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s okay to be you! The world needs everyone.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s really hard to think like everybody else in the class, Oliver realizes. His brain is full of questions and ideas and on everything but what the class is supposed to be doing. He feels like a fish stranded in a tree, so at recess he climbs a tree where he thinks no one can see him. Albert sees him and assures Oliver that it’s perfectly fine to not be exactly like everybody else.
Very nice we illustrated.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in L4L Volume 164. (Hunt is known for stories about disabilities and this one is good but could have been a little more clearer).

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. Affirming. Sweet. Hopeful. Happy ending.

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like I always recommend and share "Fish in a Tree" to middle grade readers, I'll be recommending and sharing this companion picture book. It's a must read at any point during the school year.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about how our brains can work differently. I haven't read the chapter book this story is based on but it would make a great classroom read on how everyone's brains work differently.