One Big Wish

by Jay Williams, John O'Brien (Illustrator)

Fred Butterspoon finds himself overwhelmed by a seemingly impossible situation when he is granted one big wish.

Genres: Juvenile

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Jay Williams (May 31, 1914–July 12, 1978) was an American author born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Max and Lillian Jacobson. He cited the experience of growing up as the son of a vaudeville show producer as leading him to pursue his acting career as early as college. Between 1931 and 1934 he attended the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University where he took part in amateur theatrical productions.

Out of school and out of work during the end of the Depression, he worked as a comedian on the upstate New York Borscht Belt circuit. From 1936 until 1941, Jay Williams worked as a press agent for Dwight Deere Winman, Jed Harris and the Hollywood Theatre Alliance. And even though he played a feature role in the Cannes prize winning film, The Little Fugitive produced in 1953, he turned his attention to writing as a full time career after his discharge from the Army in 1945. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart. While serving in the Army he published his first book, The Stolen Oracle, in 1943.

Williams may be best-known for his young adult "Danny Dunn" science fiction/fantasy series which he co-authored with Raymond Abrashkin. Though Abrashkin died in 1960, he is listed as co-author of all 15 books of this series, which continued from 1956 until 1977. Jay Williams also wrote mysteries for young adults, such as The Stolen Oracle, The Counterfeit African, and The Roman Moon Mystery.

In all, he published at least 79 books including 11 picture books, 39 children's novels, 7 adult mysteries, 4 nonfiction books, 8 historical novels and a play.

Williams and his wife Barbara Girsdansky were married June 3, 1941. They had a son, Christopher ("Chris"), and a daughter, Victoria. Jay Williams died at age 64 from a heart attack while on a trip to London on July 12, 1978.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farmer Fred Butterspoon turns a good deed for an old woman stuck in bramble bush, and she grants him one wish. Thinking he's made a wise choice with his wish, he soon discovers the error of his choice, and gets the opportunity to rectify his dilemma.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Its a fun story about a farmer who is rewarded for his kindness and gets one wish. Not so different from many of us, he wishes for something big! The story that follows is a detailed telling of all the things that go wrong with his wishes!

Fun story! Love the old fashioned pictures! Love the moral of the story which isn't spelled out but not hard to understand. Be careful what you wish for....it just might come true.

[Taylor Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One Big Wish" is a great read for parents, teachers, or any reader who is trying to implement morals into someone's life. I can attest to feeling a little selfish or greedy many times in my own life, and here you can read about Fred and how he learned from his lesson of trying to get everything he wanted. It's a fun read that's a little silly, but great for kids. Read Jay Williams book to find out what happens to Fred and how you too can learn a thing or two.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely unsatisfying. Fred is smart enough to use his wish to wish that all of his wishes come true, but then unbelievably stupid. It's just not all that funny, imo. (As a mom, though, I do like the ending.) Jay Williams is capable of great work, but only occasionally, apparently. I will continue to look for more.
---
Reread - no more enjoyment this time. Also, I do not like the illustrations at all, and young me would probably have been even more dissatisfied.