Genie and Teeny Make a Wish

When Grant the Genie is cast out of the Genie World for an accident involving Queen Mizelda, his lamp is damaged and he needs to find somewhere new to live. Having settled into a convenient teapot, Grant meets Teeny, a lost puppy, and the two become best friends. However, they are kidnapped by the very purple-loving and very evil Lavinia Lavender, who has a cunning plan to win the big dancing dog show, beating her old rival. Can a genie who is not very good at making wishes come true save the day?

‘Genie and Teeny Make a Wish’ is the first in a new series which Steven has both written and illustrated. The book is an explosion of the most wonderful pictures, making it instantly appealing. There are even little stars round the right hand side page numbers! The story is written in a chatty, light-hearted tone, often directly appealing to the reader and engaging them with the story. Grant’s magic wishy word is an instant giggle inspirer and will no doubt be adopted by many!

The fact that Grant, a magical being who you would expect to get things right, often makes mistakes is very reassuring and makes a great starting point for discussions around not having to be perfect or live up to impossible expectations. He keeps trying, does his best and everything works out in the end.

There is much fun to be had with the story as well. Children would really enjoy designing Grant a new home in various different containers- a watering can, perhaps, or a kettle - and thinking of hats to add to his collection. There is a page at the beginning of the book for children (or adults!) to list their three (you can’t wish for more wishes so don’t even bother trying) wishes which makes a perfect starting point for perhaps fulfilling some of these and enjoying the idea of others- some wishes should be just for dreaming, I think! As ever, Steven encourages children to have a go at drawing with a step by step guide for drawing Grant at the end of the book and a special page for their picture, encouraging the artist to share their work on social media.

Brilliantly illustrated and full of fun, ‘Genie and Teeny Make a Wish’ is a magical treat, perfect for sharing. I can’t wait to see what they get up to next!.

Genie and Teeny: Make a Wish Steven Lenton

Harper Collins ISBN: 978-0008408206