The Wishing Tree

Author: Roseanne Thong
Illustrated by: Connie McLennan
Hardcover: 32 page(s)
Age Range: 6 - 10

Book Description:

Every Lunar New Year, Ming and his grandmother visited the Wishing Tree. Its branches were covered with wishes, each written on red and yellow paper fluttering in the breeze, secured by the weight of an orange.

Grandmother warned him to wish carefully, and sure enough, Ming-???+-?-+s wishes always seemed to come true. But one year - when Ming made the most important wish of his life-??the tree let him down.

The Wishing Tree is about the excitement of making wishes, the anticipation over waiting for them to come true and the futility of making unrealistic ones. It is also about the love between a boy and his grandmother, and the realization that sometimes, we already possess the most important things in life.

School Library Journal
Ming and his grandmother have a tradition of visiting the Wishing Tree each Lunar New Year. Their wishes are written on special paper, tied to an orange, and tossed up into the branches of the tree. Ming's grandmother cautions him to wish thoughtfully, and following her advice, he realizes the fulfillment of all of his wishes except for one very important one: that his grandmother recover from a grave illness. Many years pass before Ming returns to the tree. He comes to forgive it when a friend points out that it has granted the wish his grandmother had made for him every year - that he be happy. Now the paper he offers to the tree is not a wish but rather a note of thanks. Thong's narrative voice has a gentle and musical quality that will lure readers into the book's pages, as well as into the landscape of this lovely little corner of China. Children will see in fastidious detail the beautiful wishing paper with its Chinese symbols and English translations. The rendering of the people is also superb. The exquisite art is done on watercolor paper with acrylics, which results in an unusual and vivid effect. A template for wishing paper is included in the back of the book. The lessons and observations in The Wishing Tree are ageless, and the book offers many opportunities for discussion.

Booklist
When Ming is five years old, his grandmother takes him to the Wishing Tree, where, like others in their Hong Kong village, they write wishes on pieces of paper weighted down by oranges and throw them into the branches of a giant banyan tree. Ming and Grandmother continue their annual visits to the tree until Grandmother grows ill. Bitter when his wish for Grandmother's recovery isn't granted, Ming avoids the tree until, years later, he returns to the village and acknowledges the happiness the tree brought. Although the simple, moving story is an excellent choice for Lunar New Year read-alouds and will work well to open class discussions about cultural traditions, it will also appeal throughout the year. Sentimental without being saccharine, it illustrates how traditions can help us voice our deepest wishes and emotions, and its vibrant acrylic paintings of the glorious tree abloom with wishes and fruit, which will show well to a crowd of young listeners, extend the tale's reassuring sense of hope. An author's note describes the true events that inspired the story.