Lisa Cole

I Wish You Lisa Cole

I wish you hello as you arrive.

I wish you the joy of being alive...




We all have hopes and dreams for our life. We wake up each day, head out into the world, and wonder, "What comes next?" As parents, we not only dream for ourselves, but we dream for our children too. As we hold newborn life in our arms and spend hours staring into their faces, we dream about the type of life they might live, the milestones they might achieve, and what their grandchildren might look like. For parents dealt the blow of infant death, the loss of this future potential can feel overwhelming. It's one of the most devastating and unfair tragedies a human can endure. This short, simple poem dives into the abstract hopes and dreams of one family as the ramifications of terminal illness engulfs them.




Lavish, watercolor illustrations provide a soothing, dreamy effect and powerful poetic phrases convey the depth of hopes and wishes every parent will recognize.




WARNING: This is a grown-up picture book about traumatic loss. It is not a kid's book. It is about a baby with a terminal illness. The mom and dad of this story dream of the life their child might have led as they come to grips with saying goodbye. Parental longing and grief are implied throughout. While singular in its perspective and focus, this story honors all infants whose place in the world still mattered.