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                            Flying Stars

I Wish I Could Be




Written by  Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Cao Wenxuan and recommended by Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan.

The boy wishes he could turn into a horse so that he could run on the prairie.
The horse wishes it could become a bird so that it can fly without a rein.
The bird wishes it could become a kite so that it doesn't have to worry about violent storms and there are no shotguns pointed at it.
The kite wishes it could become a cloud. Without ropes, there is no one to control it.

Everyone envies others, but little does anyone know that some people also envy themselves.
This poetic picture book brings children more perspectives to observe the world, allowing us to realize the truly beautiful parts of our lives.


Cao Wenxuan, born in 1954, is an acclaimed novelist of children’s literature, best known for winning the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2016. In 2015, Cao’s Dingding and Dangdang series was selected as one of IBBY’s Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. In 2017, his book Bronze and Sunflower was selected as a Kirkus finalist and a NewYorkTimes Notable Children’s Book.

Born in 1975, Alessandro Sanna is considered one of Italy's leading contemporary illustrators. He has earned wide recognition across Europe as an illustrator and author, and his work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review and The New Yorker.



Text: Cao Wenxuan
Illustration: Alessandro Sanna
Published by CITIC, Apr. 2023
227mm*250mm
48 Pages
Rights Sold: Italian
English Translation Available