Book 32 Wishtree
Another choice, another banned book. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate is a cute story about a 200 year old tree and a tradition of tying wishes to it around May Day. I can't tell if it's a banned book because it says to be nice to Muslim families or because the tree explains its intersex, or both, but there you are.
Wishtree is narrated by Red, a red oak tree that has been around for hundreds of years. When a Muslim family moves into its shared yard someone carves "LEAVE" into the tree and the owner starts thinking seriously about having it cut down. Maybe I'm showing my age because I was like, "oh yeah, tree roots ruining your sidewalk and plumbing? Yeah, I can see that going."
It's a shortish chapter book, but has some interesting world building with creatures living in the tree and how they name themselves. Red's best friend is a crow named Bongo (she likes to listen to a garage band down the way with bongos in it).
SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK? Can you read a kids book? I'd say if you wanted this would be a good one. Cute, anti-racist, clever.
ART PROJECT:
Animals are a bit of my hobby, so all the animals are from my own reference pictures.
