The Wishing Well

A September/October 2026 Kids’ Indie Next Pick.

A monster at the bottom of a wishing well plots his escape, reminding us that true wealth is measured not in coins but in love, freedom, and the beauty of nature.

Plip! Plop! Plip! The coins fall down into the well. The people wish for puppies, or ponies, but most of all, they wish to be rich. They think that will make them happy. But the monster, surrounded by money, knows that the treasures of their lives above make them rich already. The hugs, the kisses, the books, the stars, and the seasons are all that he wishes for. 

His daring escape will have readers reconsidering their wildest wishes. 

From the Indie bestselling team of Gideon Sterer and Emily Hughs, The Wishing Well celebrates the beauty and wonder of all we take for granted. 

• "Unhurried text and deliberately paced images that nod to classic fairy tales build to a satisfying story that speaks not only to the follies of getting and having but to the rewards of taking the long view."
  Publishers Weekly
• “Readers will empathize with the monster’s desire to experience the world above and come to understand that many things in life are more important than money.”
  Booklist
• "Sterer’s story is quiet, resonant, and meditative; Hughes’s illustrations reinforce the tone with a timeless style that captures the land’s rural, fairy-tale–like setting."
   
  School Library Journal
•  A September/October 2026 Kids' Indie Next Pick
   
  Indie Next