Book: Wishtree

Wishtree is one of the 12 books on the 2020 Mark Twain Award finalist list.  It has an interesting premise:  the tree tells the story.  I was intrigued when I read previews for the book.

From Goodreads:

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . 
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Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever. 

I did know what to expect.  I suppose I knew there would be a plot interwoven into what the tree witnessed, but I did not expect a story about accepting the new Muslim neighbors.

The part I enjoyed the most was the ways in which Red's friends, the animals, named themselves.  In this, there was a certain amount of poetry.  Applegate really captured the essence of the various species.

All in all, the story was a pretty simple one, not too complicated and not too deep.  I guess that was the author's intention - to tell a meaningful story in a simple way - although I doubt, in reality, that things could resolve themselves as quickly as this.