Applegate, Katherine.
WISHTREE
NewYork : Feiwel & Friends, 2017.
IL5-8, RL 4.6
ISBN: 978-1250143037

(4 booktalks)

Booktalk #1

Trees don’t just talk to anyone – they’re introverts at heart – but when they share their stories, they’re wise, wonderful, and funny. Red, the narrator of Wishtree, is a majestic red oak who acts as unofficial guardian of the neighborhood. To the local birds and animals, Red offers shelter, food, and advice; and especially enjoys conversations with Bongo, the crow. Red also has a special relationship with human neighbors: each year on the first of May, people attach ribbons, strips of cloth, and scraps of paper to the tree, each representing a wish. Red’s life isn’t trouble-free. The owner of the property on which Red grows threatens to cut the tree down, complaining of the annual clean-up of wish debris. And then there’s Samar, daughter of the new Muslim family in the neighborhood, who faces rejection and prejudice, and wishes for a friend.   (Vermont DCF Award nominee, 2018-2019)

Booktalk #2

When is a tree more than a tree? Red, the century old neighborhood oak tree, has seen many things throughout his lifetime. He knows many things, too, including all the wishes that people write on cloth or ribbons and tie to his branches. With his animal friends, including a crow named Bongo, Red watches everything happening around him. When a new family moves into the neighborhood, someone shows how they feel about the family by carving ugly words into Red’s trunk, igniting concern and conversation in the neighborhood. Will cutting Red down be the answer to solving this problem? Or, will the people in the community come up with a different answer? Read this important and timely award winning novel to see what the neighborhood truly wishes for… Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2018-2019

Booktalk #3

Red is an old oak tree who is many rings old. He is known as the “Wishtree" - each year, people tie hundreds of wishes onto his branches. When Samar, a Muslim girl, moves into the house next to Red, he decides she needs a friend. So Red and his talking animal "tenants” pull out all the stops to connect Samar to Ben, a friendly boy next door who also needs a pal. But when someone carves a hateful word into the tree to scare away Samar and her family, the town decides it's time to cut Red down. This time, Red and his friends can stay silent no more. Will they be able to save the tree in time? Find out by reading this heartwarming adventure. (Prepared by: Zoe Tyner, 5th-grade student, Pelham Road Elementary for South Carolina Book Award)

Booktalk #4

Red is an oak tree that lives on a residential block and sees everything that goes on, especially with the help of his animal friends that consider Red their home. What makes Red even more special is that Red is a “Wish Tree”. People write a wish and tie it to the tree in the hopes that it will come true. When a new family moves in and they are not welcome, Red makes it a mission to help them make connections. When Red is in danger of being chopped down, the animals who depend on him fight to remind the neighborhood how important Red is to them.
(Garden State Children's Book Awards nominee, 2020)