If you could ask for anything on your birthday, what would it be?
The Ninth Birthday Wish is a children’s picture book written by Bruce E Arrington and illustrated by Florence Jayne. Bril and Arisa were twins, but they could hardly be more different than each other if they tried. Bril was a dreamer who liked to read, while his sister, Arisa, craved action and adventure. When their ninth birthday arrived, the family went on a tropical vacation where a magical pond was known for granting birthday wishes. Bril, being the older twin, was to go first with his wish, but Arisa was too excited to wait and blurted out her wish first.
Bruce Arrington’s children’s picture book, The Ninth Birthday Wish, explores the stresses and strains that are a part of living with siblings — especially if that sibling is a twin. In this exciting and action-packed tale, Bril and Arisa end up living each other’s wishes and learning more about themselves and each other in the process. Florence Jayne’s illustrations are inspired. Each panel is suitable for framing for a child’s room, especially the beach and pirate ship scenes. This book is especially suited for twins, who may feel isolated from and different than most of the kids in their neighborhoods, but its message is also perfect for families where siblings have markedly different interests and personalities.
–Courtesy of Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite
International Versions
Sample Pictures
Teacher Corner
Creative Writing & Imagination Ideas for Teachers
- Activity: Write a short letter to a friend, family member, oActivity 1: The Mixed-Up Wish Box (Collaborative Writing)
- The Concept: Students mimic the exact mechanical conflict of the book by accidentally “stealing” a classmate’s creative premise and forcing themselves to write their way out of it.
- The Setup: Hand out two different colored index cards to every student (e.g., Blue for Bril’s style and Pink for Arisa’s style).
- The Prompt:
- On the Blue Card, write a wish for a calm, relaxing, or intellectual activity (e.g., floating on a cloud reading a comic book, building a giant LEGO castle).
- On the Pink Card, write a wish for a wild, fast-paced adventure (e.g., skydiving out of a hot air balloon, riding a T-Rex through a grocery store).
- The Twist: Collect all cards into two separate tissue boxes (“The Wishing Ponds”). Have every student draw one card of each color. They must pick one card that represents a lifestyle completely opposite of their own personality and write a 5-sentence story about how they survive that day.
- Engaging Element: Students must include a specific line of dialogue where their character says: “This wasn’t my wish, but…”r classmate. Describe a magical gift or talent you would wish for them to have, and explain how it would make their life happier.
About the Author
Bruce Arrington:
Authored 19 books (48 if you count the foreign-language editions), including the illustrated children’s Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Birthday Wish books.
Graduated from Oregon State University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science.
Worked in wildlife biology in North Dakota, Oregon, and Florida, for a total of 15 years.
Taught in a K-12 charter school for 16 years.
Earned his Master of Arts in Teaching and teaches Physical Education.
Ziplined in the tropics of Costa Rica and Mexico and can’t wait to do it again.
