Like most authors, writing is a labor of love.  But writing "The Wishing Flower" was based on a set of belief first formulated as my mother read to me ever night. 

When I wrote this fairytale, I wanted to share with others the feeling that I remembered of being special. 

"The Wishing Flower" represents every child in the world.  From the flower, the children see that you don't have to be perfect to be loved and valued

If , as the poster says, "Children learn what they live", then "The Wishing Flower" will help children to feel safe and develop the positive self-esteem that they need to survive the twenty-first century.

I work in an inner city school system.  Many of the children do not even own a book of their own. Recently I learned that their are no libraries in the area in which I work.  They have all been shut down!  The kids tell me that they are afraid to walk to the library in a close-by community for fear that they will be attacked by gangs. 

I may not be able to change that situation, but I can try to get my book into the hands of as many children as possible.  I'll never get rich from this book because I keep buying them from the publisher and giving them away.

So what is my challenge?  Invest in a child.  Buy a book, or borrow it from the library, and read it to a child.    Buy a class set of books, if you can afford it, and give them to an inner city neighborhood school.

I believe it is the little things that we do for children that can have the most impact. If we start early enough reinforcing our love, maybe we can curb some of the violence we see in young people.

What do you think?

Visit and take a look at the book.

Mosetta M. Penick Phillips-Cermak, Ph. D.

This is an inspiring work, Mosetta--we need more engaging stories out there for children. Reading (and being read to) nurtures the imagination.

I agree. I have read this story at least 40 times, and each time I love it more than the first.
The Wishing Flower is a sweet journey back into childhood.
Based on the concept that children are the most important gift, The Wishing Flower tells a story of how special every child is. Because the flower isn't perfect, Dr. Mosetta suggest that children do not have to be perfect to be loved. Since the flower is multicolored, the author encompasses all races and nationality in her fairytale.
Although the story is written for primary age children, the vocabulary seems better suited to 3rd through 5th grade. If that is a flaw, it is the only one I can find in this story.

The second edition is definitely better than the first edition. With expanded illustrations and corrections (although I could not find any errors), the hard cover is worth the $29.95 price.
Dr. Penick Phillips-Cermak states that this is a "family fairy tale", and that she wants parents to read to their children, and older siblings to read to younger ones.

I gave a copy of the book to my niece, and she has asked me to read it to her at least forty time. Children will grow up and want to read this story to their own children
I believe this is destined to become a classic.

I think The Wishing Flower is a sweet and tender way to tell a child you love them.:)

I'm glad you give books to underprivileged children. I was one of those kids growing up. My mother used to get used books from the Associated Charities and give them to me for Christmas. It didn't bother me that the books were used. I only cared about the stories. Books let you dream, and believe something can be different. That's very important to every child, but especially important to one who has nothing but dreams.

I can't agree more. Like you, I'll never get rich from my books because I keep donating copies to YA reading groups. The recurring theme I use, even though my novels are SF, is that all of the adventures are "for the future...the children."

I just want to tell you how proud I am to be your brother. For years everyone told me about my athletic prowess, and over the years you had to sit and listen. Today I want to tell everyone, that I have read your books and they are very well written and interesting. I have given your book to many young people and they have found great joy in reading your book, The Wishing Flower.

Hi Mosetta. I'm a friend of Martha's and she told me about your book and your blog. I'm intrigued about your story and look forward to reading it. It sounds like a wonderful story for kids, especially in todays world!