When people are angry or frustrated, nasty thoughts can cross their minds, even if it’s about people they care about, in the heat of the moment. Thankfully, there’s usually no harm done since, just as quickly, when the matter blows over, they’d feel rather silly and regretful for overreacting.

It’s a different matter, of course, when power falls into the wrong hands at the wrong time — like a wish-granting diamond in the paws of a fed-up Templeton, who, like most of us probably have at one time or another, wonders if life would be better without his pesky toy-stealing brothers and naggy parents. Naturally, what ensues is a not-unpredictable tale of “be careful what you wish for”, and a lesson in appreciating your loved ones for who they are and all the little things they do for you.

  
What makes Templeton Gets His Wish stand out, then, is how the complex message behind the story is communicated through simple language and beautifully designed pages with subtle yet impactful illustrations — all in Greg Pizzoli‘s signature pleasingly-retro spot colours — such that both my three- and five-year-old had no trouble empathising with Templeton’s rollercoaster of emotions.