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Description
On the Lunar New Year, the wishes Ming and his grandmother make at the tree always seem to come true, until one year the tree does not grant his wish. Now Ming must make peace with the loss of his grandmother and the spirit of the tree.
Quick Summary
Roseanne Thong's The Wishing Tree is a beautiful, gentle story about a boy named Ming who has always made wishes with his grandmother at a magical tree during Lunar New Year until the year the tree doesn't answer, and Ming has to learn how to hold onto memories while letting go. The book does a wonderful job introducing young readers to Lunar New Year traditions while also handling a really big emotion (grief and loss) in a way that feels honest but not scary or heavy. Kids who enjoy stories about magic, families, or who are working through their own feelings about losing a grandparent or loved one will find this particularly meaningful. The pacing is perfect for early readers short enough to keep attention but substantive enough to leave a real impression. While it touches on death and missing someone, it does so with such warmth and hope that parents can feel confident sharing it with sensitive readers. A lovely companion to books like The Memory String by Eve Bunting or The Empty Window by Deborah G. H. Franklin.