They are “proof that something bad can become something good with enough time and care and hope.” Hers are home to owlets, possums, raccoons and skunks. Bongo, a self-described pessimist with a fine ear for the nuances of human language, resents being grouped in a “murder” of crows, while a bunch of hummingbirds is called a “charm.” She’s full of hollows, at her age, which start as wounds, but slowly heal, offering protection to creatures. She has lots of opinions and a tendency, when her best friend Bongo the Crow is hanging about, to philosophize. On the first of May, her limbs are tied with rags, tags, even “the occasional gym sock,” with wishes scribbled on them. She’s also a “wishtree,” one of an honorable tribe that hosts a centuries-old tradition found all over the world. Katherine Applegate’s “Wishtree” is a beautifully written, morally bracing story that will leave its imprint on a reader of any age.Ībout that tree: Red is a city tree, a tall, largehearted, middle-aged (at 216 rings) red oak. What’s more, this is a tale told by … a tree. Leave it to a children’s books writer to produce the most moving commentary I’ve read on the anti-immigration movement - without mentioning bans or walls or presidents.
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