Mac's Big Wish: A Children's Book about the Power of Friendship

An inspiring tale for all ages, Mac's Big Wish helps us understand the true value of friendship. After spending much of his life alone at Puddleton's Pet Rescue watching other dogs leave happily with new owners, Mac almost gives up hope for a loving home. But then he gets a special job as a therapy dog at Oak Knoll Care Center and learns he too has much to give.

Mac’s Big Wish won the 2024 Patricia Gallagher Children’s Choice Picture Book Award, sponsored by the Oregon State Literacy Association. Over 12,000 school children voted for it as their favorite among five nominees during the school year.

Purchase includes a free download of an 8-minute animated video of Mac’s Big Wish narrated by the author.

Excerpt from the Kirkus Indie Review of Mac’s Big Wish -- A dog learns that each pup is special in their own way in Vanderwall’s debut picture book. …Vanderwall builds the story well for newly independent readers, with simply structured sentences, repeated phrases, and fun sound words (squish-squash-squish, click-clack, squeak-squeak-squeaking) … Illustrator Lillian’s two-page spread … is … joyful. The painterly cartoon style allows for humanlike expressions on otherwise realistically portrayed animals’ faces, and the diverse cast of humans of varying skin tones, shapes, and ages is a delight. A … book for dog lovers featuring a strong lesson about the value of friendship.

Peter Vanderwall based Mac's Big Wish on a bedtime story he created to tell his sons, Eric and Kenny, when they were growing up. The story was inspired by his first encounter with a therapy dog many years ago. Trooper comforted Peter's mother and the other residents of a memory care center in upstate New York. Mac's Big Wish won the 2024 Patricia Gallagher Children's Choice Picture Book Award, sponsored by the Oregon State Literacy Association. Over 12,000 school children voted for it as their favorite among five nominees during the school year. Peter is also a screenwriter whose produced movies include Hide Away starring Josh Lucas and James Cromwell, Reverse Angle, Shadowheart, and Without Evidence. Peter and his wife, Kathleen, share their time between the Pacific Northwest and Utah where they enjoy skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking, and other outdoor adventures. Peter's author website includes free lesson plans for Mac's Big Wish. Teachers, parents, and grandparents can find activities to help them support their children's attention to learning (www.PeterVanderwall.com). The author supports the work of the Humane Society of the United States.

Janis Lillian is an illustrator whose art and innovations have been put to use by the likes of Crayola, Hallmark, Kelly's Crafts and Freckle Press. Her whimsical designs and lovable characters come to life in pen and ink detail and watercolor-soaked splendor. A self-taught artist with an abundant curiosity about art and life, Janis lives in a happy state of chaos among family and friends in the Pacific Northwest.